Impromptu
by pocketcucco
Summary: Terca Lumireis hosts a variety of characters: the saints and sinners, the blessed and damned. And then there's Yuri Lowell, part-time drink mixer and jailhouse regular, who quickly finds that he's bitten off more than he can chew. 1920/30s-style crime AU, cover image by Yoru no Angel.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Just a bit of a quick explanation so things in this AU aren't too complicated: the guilds are gangs, the knights are police, Terca Lumireis is a city (large, but not as large as the world in the game, granted), and most of the game's cities are separated into "districts" within Terca Lumires. And, of course, this takes place in a 1930s crime setting, so there are touches of modern amenities you'd expect from the 1930s.

_Some_ events in the story follow the game's plot, but after a while it'll go off in another direction...

This is my first multi-chaptered fic in a while so updates may be a bit slow for a bit.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Tales of Vesperia._

* * *

**Prologue**

The city lights were lit low that evening, fluttering lazily through a thin layer of fog along the street. There were only a few people meandering the sidewalks—the wandering homeless and some swaying couples—as two cars sped up the block, side by side, until they spun around a corner and down another rain-slick road.

It was the perfect time of night—a little before midnight, to be precise—in Yeager's opinion, the time when the city's unsavory stock could prowl the streets without attracting unwanted attention. Not that _he _would bring in too may curious eyes, at least; Yeager blended perfectly with the crowds, even in the harsh light of day. None of the regular, everyday citizens seemed to suspect that he was the leader of Leviathan's Claw, one of the most powerful underground gangs in Terca Lumireis.

A voice beckoned him from the comfortable shadows of a nearby table. "You're here."

Yeager stopped and turned briskly on his heel. He wordlessly slicked back a loose strand of hair and seated himself across from another man at an outdoor restaurant table.

"Thank you for making it on time," the man who had summoned him said, idly stirring his coffee with a spoon. "I need our meeting to be quick. I already have doubts about meeting in public like this."

"Don't worry about it too much. I already told you, the area is secure. No one terribly important will see you here," Yeager replied. He nodded up the street.

His companion's eyes flickered upward, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips when he saw a pair of hooded men standing at the corner. "You came prepared."

"I always do."

"In any case…" The man heaved a quiet sigh and took a quick sip of his coffee before he slid a piece of paper across the table. "I've completed the contract I proposed to you several days ago."

Yeager took the form and looked it over with a careful eye. "So I see. Hmm." He paused for a moment, his mouth becoming a thin line over his chin. "You want to flush out all the…_nasty_ underground dealings, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's part of it."

"And you need _our _help?" Yeager chuckled and put the paper back on the table. "You _do _know what Leviathan's Claw is, don't you?"

"One of the gangs working under Altosk. I'm aware," his companion said, pushing the paper toward him again. "But my contacts tell me that your group is starting to…how should I put it? Separate from the rest of them, I suppose."

Yeager raised an eyebrow. This man was better informed than he originally thought. That made things just a little more risky. _Perfect_, he thought with another mental smirk.

"I'll take that as a yes," the man said, a sly grin spreading over his lips. "Listen. If you read my contract clearly, you'd see I'm willing to make a nice deal with you."

Yeager looked down at the paper again, his eyes skimming the carefully typewritten text. "Ohh. I see, I see!" His hard gaze switched back to the man sitting across from him. "I think I might be able to agree with this."

The man pulled his hand from his coat pocket and extended it toward Yeager. "It'll work out then, yes? Leviathan's Claw will help me with my end, and I'll help you with yours. I find this..._blastia _to be very interesting, but you know I can't get a hold of it myself. I'm sure you can help me with that, can't you?"

Yeager took his hand, tentatively at first, and shook it. "Ja, I think we can," he said. "I think we can indeed…"

* * *

The book's text was getting harder and harder for her to read.

Estellise put a hand to her drooping eyes and closed them. The clock beside her read 12:48, but it felt much later than that. She wanted to keep reading her book—she was _just _at the good part—but she didn't think she could stay up much longer.

_I've got to stop trying to pull all-nighters like this, _she thought.

The phone at the desk beside hers began to ring. Estellise started and dropped the novel from her hand. It was too late for calls, wasn't it? Her father's office had closed hours ago.

Nevertheless, she reached over and took the receiver from its cradle. "Full Moon Inc., hello?"

A burst of static crackled on the other end before a hoarse, quiet voice spoke. "Child of Full Moon?"

Estellise narrowed her eyes. "Who? No, this is Full Moon _Inc._"

"But are you the child of Full Moon? Estellise?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "W-What?"

"Excellent," the voice said with a gruff chuckle. "Keep an eye on your windows and doors. Your big bad security isn't going to be helpful for much longer."

Estellise tightened her grip on the phone. "Hello? Who is this? Hello?!"

Something clicked and the line went dead.

Her father's security guards threw the door open only moments later.


	2. Illicit

**Chapter I  
**_Illicit_

"You're sure this isn't part of your stash, Yuri?"

"No, sir, but I sure could do with a good drink right now."

Yuri finally shifted his gaze from an oblong crack in the ceiling to smile innocently at the officer sitting across from him, but Lieutenant Flynn's frown only deepened. He impatiently tapped the empty liquor bottle on his desk with his index finger.

"You know I don't like calling you in for these kinds of things because you're my friend, Yuri," the lieutenant said, ignoring his friend's disbelieving grunt, "but it's my job. I have to make these busts, or else drinking and drunks will be rampant across the city."

"Who cares? Times are tough. Let the people have a little fun every once in a while," Yuri replied, his grin melting. "I don't see why the police have to be so uptight about something as simple as alcohol."

"Because it's the _law._"

"I know. And I follow it—well, ninety-five percent of the time—but it's a stupid law. No one else listens to it, anyway…well, aside from the rich folks, and I'm _sure _I've seen more than a few of them show up in speakeasies."

Flynn's scowl faltered as he reached for a notepad on the corner of his desk. "You've seen members of the upper class in the speakeasies? Who were they? On second thought, could you give me the names of _anyone_ you saw?"

"Hell if I know," Yuri said with a shrug. "And aren't you going to ask me why _I _was in one of the speakeasies?"

"You were brought in for questioning because Lieutenant Leblanc's men found you in one," Flynn pointed out. "But I have a feeling you're not going to tell me a thing, as usual."

Yuri nodded faintly. "Yeah, I know."

An uneasy silence settled over the office. It was small and cramped—_especially_ cramped on this warm summer afternoon, Yuri noticed as he wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead with the side of his wrist. He leaned back in his metal chair and wondered briefly why Flynn hadn't flipped on the overhead fan yet.

"You're really not going to give me any information today, are you?" Flynn asked after a lengthy pause. "Please, Yuri…"

"I don't have anything new to say. It's the same story as always," Yuri said, casting a glare in his old friend's direction. "I was there, but I wasn't drinking or anything. I was just mixing the drinks for cash—cash for the _people in the lower quarter_. Then Leblanc and the Tweedles showed up and started arresting people left and right. End of story."

"I'd prefer if you called them by their names—Officers Adecor and Boccos," Flynn said, tapping the bottle again with the tip of his pencil. "And the mere fact that you were even _in _a speakeasy makes you a suspect in a case we've been working on lately. I want to believe that you were _just_ mixing drinks-"

"Good." Yuri slid the chair back and stood. "If you believe I wasn't drinking or smuggling alcohol then we're done here."

"Yuri Lowell, you were still there-"

A quick knock on the office door saved Yuri from whatever protests Flynn still had up his sleeve. The young lieutenant sighed and pulled his gaze away. "Come in."

A woman opened the door and gave him a quick salute. "Sir, the commandant's called another meeting for the investigation. He wants you to come right away."

"You're in luck this time, Yuri," Flynn said bitterly as he pushed himself to his feet. "And thank you for letting me know, Sodia."

The uniformed woman nodded to him and shot a quick glance at Yuri. "Would you like me to keep an eye on him while you're gone, lieutenant?"

"No, that's fine. He can go. We've held him long enough...and we'll probably be seeing him again very soon."

Sodia gave him a significant look. Flynn returned it with a raised eyebrow.

Yuri had half a mind to pump his fist in the air, but he thought better of it when he saw the accusing gleam in Sodia's catlike eyes. He was all-too familiar with the redheaded sergeant; she was Flynn's subordinate, but she was a smart woman and she hated criminals with a passion rarely seen in the Zaphias district's officers. She was fiercely loyal to Lieutenant Flynn too, almost to the point that Yuri thought it was unhealthy.

Yuri watched as Flynn paused at the doorway and pulled a trench coat over his shoulders. "You can go this time, but if they catch you in a speakeasy again I won't let you off so easy. You'll be spending another few days in jail with a _lot _more questioning," he said.

Yuri gave his friend a mock salute. "Yes, sir!"

Flynn smiled fleetingly before his stoic visage returned. He followed Sodia out into the hallway without another word.

Yuri waited until they were gone before he heaved another sigh of relief. Sometimes, he realized, he was very lucky to have a friend on the force. Flynn didn't like letting him off the hook like this—he absolutely _hated _letting a criminal of any sort go free (which was probably why he and Sodia got along so well)—but he just didn't have enough evidence to keep Yuri back for something like alcohol possession, and his tests were coming up spotless. The jails were getting too full because of the success of recent alcohol busts, and Yuri had already spent more time than he would've liked in the damp, lonely cells.

Yuri left Lieutenant Flynn's office and returned to the main lobby. The police station was relatively quiet that afternoon—it seemed as though most of the officers were already out and about in the city. He cast a quick look through the room, seeking out his three 'favorite' officers, but they weren't in sight.

_The Tweedles and Leblanc must be busy today_, he thought with a smile. Any day he didn't have to face them was a good one.

One unfamiliar voice, however, rose above all the rest.

A teenage girl threw herself at the front desk and a very nonplussed young officer. "I need to see Lieutenant Flynn right away!"

"I'm sorry, miss," the young man said, attempting what was probably supposed to be a calm smile, "but he's in a meeting right now. No one can go see him."

The girl's slight hands tightened around the edge of the desk. She bit her lip and looked desperately at the other officers in the lobby.

"Please," she begged. "It's really important. I really need to see him!"

"You'll have to wait until he's out of his meeting."

"When will that be?"

"I don't know…"

Yuri walked past the girl and to the front door. She looked vaguely familiar; had he seen her somewhere before? In the theater or out on the streets, perhaps? But he doubted he could ever forget someone who looked like her—the girl's short, brightly-colored hair stood out far too much.

_It'll come back to me later, _he thought with a nonchalant shrug as he pushed the door open and walked out into the warm, late afternoon sunshine.

The middle quarter was bustling with an unsurprising amount of activity. Women armed with shopping bags or young children were walking amongst men in gray suits, all ready to complete the long list of tasks they had waiting for the day. Yuri tipped his fedora over his forehead and joined the crowd, blending in with the hodgepodge of citizens.

His next destination was home, all the way back in the lower quarter of the Zaphias district. It was a modest area—_too _modest, he thought, his mind wandering instantly to the poverty-stricken members of the district he lived with. Yuri himself had grown up in the lower quarter with Flynn, and unlike his friend, he had opted to stay there after a brief stint with the police force.

"Yuri!" A familiar voice called him from the busy market street. Yuri tore his hungry eyes away from a cart of fruit and grinned when he saw Hanks, one of the older denizens of the lower quarter, waving at him from the end of the block.

"Hanks! What are you doing out here?" Yuri asked as he approached his neighbor.

"You talk like I'm not allowed to leave the lower quarter," Hanks joked. "I knew you'd be coming back from the station around this time so I thought I'd come meet up with you."

"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to worry about me."

Hanks raised a grizzled eyebrow. "You're always getting yourself in trouble, Yuri. Though I should be pretty used to your misadventures by now, shouldn't I?"

Yuri only shrugged, another devious smile crossing his lips. They were walking down the shabby staircase to the lower quarter now; the walkway was so familiar to him that he knew he could stroll down the steps with his eyes closed and never worry about tripping.

"You know, you don't need to go to those speakeasies just for our sake," Hanks said, lowering his voice as he cast a quick glance over his shoulder.

"Don't bother. The police never come down here unless they know they're going to make a bust," Yuri said with a casual wave of his hand.

Hanks frowned. "I know you can make fast money in those places, but you're only digging a deeper hole with the police. I don't want to see you get thrown in there forever…or worse."

Yuri snorted. "'Or worse'? What can they do to me that's worse than that, old man?"

"I'm not saying they'd put you up on death row, but they might send you away to a bigger facility if they think you're too much trouble for this district to handle."

"I'll be fine, so don't worry too much. You'll lose the rest of your hair."

Hanks couldn't help it—he cracked a small smile before he went on.

"Just be careful," he continued. "I know you're only trying to help us, but we don't want to see you in trouble."

"Relax. I'm not one of the alcohol smugglers so I shouldn't get in too much trouble, and Flynn's willing to cut me a little slack because he's too busy worrying about the risky criminals," Yuri said. He paused at the base of the stairs and scowled. "Hey, Hanks…isn't it a little quiet around here?"

Hanks motioned in the direction of the lower quarter's fountain. Yuri followed his gesture and hissed a curse under his breath.

The fountain—although green and covered with a thin layer of disgusting algae—was completely empty.

"Damn it! It's broken again!" Yuri said as he moved closer to the well. He ran his hands along the stone—it was still slightly damp, as though it had been running only hours before.

"Broke down just last night after the raid," Hanks said, joining Yuri beside the fountain. "It flooded over for a while, but we cleaned everything up before you got back."

"Damn," Yuri murmured again. He looked up and saw buckets of water lined in a row beside the houses. "I thought we just had this thing fixed!"

"Looks like the repair job wasn't good enough. And after all we went through to get it fixed in the first place…"

Yuri's hands clenched at his sides. It wasn't fair for the people in the lower quarter—they barely had enough money to get by, and now that their main source of clean water was gone, they were going to have to drink the vile canal water again. Children would be sick, the elderly would be frail…even the healthy adults would be weakened without a good source of water. Some of them could afford to buy fresh water in the market, but not all of the residents had enough money for that.

The police force would be no help at all, despite their promises to "defend the people." Just the thought of it made Yuri's stomach churn.

_If I were still on the force… _No, he thought, shaking his head. He couldn't think like that. It wouldn't do the lower quarter any good if he kept himself in the past.

"We'll have to scare up some more money to have it fixed again," Hanks was saying when Yuri finally broke himself away from his reverie. "It'll take an awful long time…we just went and sold almost everything to get it fixed the first time, and it was a shoddy job."

"We'll just have to…" Yuri suddenly stopped. He knew _exactly _what he had to do. Flynn had taken away the money he earned the night before, but tonight he could still make more, couldn't he? It would be easy as long as there wasn't another raid.

"I see that look in your eyes, Yuri Lowell," Hanks said, putting a rough hand on his shoulder. "Don't even think about it."

"Think about what?" Yuri said with a sly grin. "I'm not thinking about anything but a good rest. Those damn police kept me up all night for questioning and Flynn didn't even get me in his office until earlier this morning."

"Lieutenant Flynn is a good officer," Hanks said. "He never minds coming down to help us."

"Yeah, but that stubborn guy's too preoccupied with his new duties to help us now. He was sent into a meeting before he even finished questioning me. It sounded like he had a lot on his plate."

"Well, it's good that he's getting more responsibility on the force. You know what they think of people who come from our side of the district."

"Yeah," Yuri agreed with another tired shrug. "Anyway, I'm going to go get some sleep. I'll see you later, Hanks. Thanks for coming up to wait for me."

"Don't mention it. And don't get in anymore trouble tonight, you hear?"

Yuri turned around to hide his smile. "I won't."

_At least I'm not _exactly _lying, _he thought as he returned to his home on the other side of the lower quarter. _I won't get in any trouble at all, so long as I'm not caught. _

* * *

The speakeasy was a little more crowded than Yuri expected it to be, given the bust that had taken place less than twenty-four hours ago. But the pub that had been raided the night before was several shabbier blocks away—perhaps the people here felt a little more at ease because this particular establishment was overlooked.

Yuri wove effortlessly through the crowd, taking in the rich, mingling scents of liquor and cigar smoke. He waved to the people he knew and exchanged brief, knowing smirks with those he recognized as fellow survivors of the recent bust.

"Yuri Lowell! Still alive after a day with the boys in blue?"

The barkeeper—a man Yuri had known since his evening visits to the local speakeasies began—clapped him on the shoulder. "Already back for more trouble?"

"Just some work tonight, same as always," Yuri replied, stepping out of the way as a rowdy group pushed by with half-empty bottles in their fists.

"Good, good." The barkeep smiled and rapped his knuckles against the counter. "How are you feeling today? Musically-inclined? The band could use some work."

Yuri winced as a trumpet player on the stage hit a particularly sour note. "Yeah...no."

"Waiting on tables? Maybe some of the usual drink mixing while I get some stuff from the other room?"

"Sure, I can mix drinks. It's the only thing I'm good at, really—you know I hate waiting tables."

The barkeeper tossed Yuri his towel and ushered him behind the polished bar. "Be good while I'm gone, and don't get any of the mixes wrong."

Yuri gave the barkeep a brief nod and busied himself with polishing glasses while he waited for an order. He liked this pub more than the others he had worked at in the past—he was well-known in parts of the district for the drink mixing he did to get the money he spent to help the lower quarter (although he did keep a small handful for himself—how else could he get by?). This one was clean and well hidden beneath what seemed like a respectable general store.

Yuri spun a clean glass around with his fingers before an unusual flash of red caught his eye. At first he thought it was just a gleam of a woman's jewelry, but what he saw when he glanced up was almost enough to freeze the blood in his veins.

Two men with hooded cloaks stood in the corner, their folded arms obscured by long, baggy sleeves. Eerie scarlet lights shone from where their eyes should've been.

_The Red Eyes?_

Yuri had only heard passing rumors about them before. They were gang members of some sort, but he wasn't quite sure which one they were from. Why were two of them here? This wasn't a gang-run speakeasy, as far as Yuri knew.

"Hey!" A heavy pound against the bar broke Yuri's concentration. He blinked several times and focused his gaze on the dark corner again, but the Red Eyes were already gone.

"Are you going to stand there and stare off into space?" a youthful voice prodded.

Yuri looked down and frowned. There was a boy standing at the other end of the bar—he couldn't have been any older than _maybe_ fourteen, and even that was stretching it. A pair of wide, childish eyes glared up at him from beneath a mop of spiky brown hair.

"Hey, kid," Yuri pointed a finger at the boy. "I don't serve alcohol to children. I already get in enough trouble working here as is."

"I'm not here for a drink!" The boy slammed his fist against the polished wood of the bar again, and Yuri resisted the urge to smack him with the towel. "I'm looking for some people."

"How'd you get in here, anyway?"

"With my group!"

"Your...group?" Yuri raised a skeptical eyebrow.

The boy flashed an insignia on the sleeve of his shirt. "The Hunting Blades! You know!"

The Hunting Blades, yet another gang. Was this speakeasy becoming a new hangout?

Yuri waved a lazy finger at the insignia. "How do I know you didn't just steal that?"

"Come on, help me out! I'm looking for a big, tough guy—his name is Clint—and a girl. She's got short brown hair, sort of up in a ponytail on the top of her head?"

Yuri shook his head. "Nope, haven't seen them. And you'd better get away from here before the real barkeeper comes back. He doesn't like it when kids leave their dirty fingerprints all over his bar."

The boy raised his hands and waved his gloved fingers. "Good thing I've got these on, huh?"

Yuri sighed quietly and went back to cleaning glasses as the boy left. It looked like it was going to be another slow night, he thought with a scowl. Fewer orders meant even fewer tips. He wanted to raise enough cash to fix the lower quarter's fountain—that was his new goal.

A woman suddenly screamed from the center of the room. A bottle hit the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. A familiar whistle screeched and tore through the eerie silence that had settled over the bar.

Yuri saw a huddled group of men pull out their official police badges.

All hell broke loose in a matter of seconds.


	3. Conned

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much to everyone who's read and reviewed _Impromptu _since I started posting it. I'm really glad you're enjoying the story, because I've had a lot of fun outlining it and writing it.

* * *

**Chapter II  
**_Conned_

Yuri dropped the glass in his hand, jumped over the wooden bar, and ran as fast as he could without bumping into any of the officers. The policemen everyone had mistaken for regular patrons were already grabbing a few of the startled customers and pulling them to the side while the others tried to summon reinforcements to the scene. Yuri wove through the masses, his gaze focused on the doors at the other end of the room. He only had to make it there, and then he'd be home free-

"Stop right there, I say!"

_Spoke too soon. Damn it!_

A tall, moustached officer and his shorter companion stood in front of Yuri and his means of escape. Yuri slid to a halt, hissing a low oath under his breath.

"Well, if it isn't Tweedle A and Tweedle B!" he finally managed with a self-assured smirk.

"Enough with this 'Tweedle' thing!" Boccos, the smaller of the two officers, said. "Treat the officers of the law with respect!"

"That's right!" Adecor hastily agreed.

"I'll give you guys respect when you do something to deserve it." Yuri shrugged, his eyes still darting to the door when they weren't focused on the officers' holstered guns.

"You-!" Boccos made a move for his weapon and paused. "Yuri Lowell, you're under arrest! Again!"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that one before," Yuri scoffed. He darted swiftly to the left when one of the panicking bar patrons slammed into Adecor and Boccos and pushed them to the side.

Yuri pushed his way through the door behind them and ran up the steps. A stream of fellow escapees scrambled after him as he opened the trapdoor on the ceiling with his free hand, using the other to pull himself up into the room above. Pale lights from the police cars outside cast a harsh glow through the storefront.

Yuri quickly separated himself from the rest of the crowd and made his way to the back door, where he had entered the establishment only an hour earlier. He stepped out into a wet alley and ran down a street away from the lower quarter. He couldn't go back home just yet—the police were already familiar with his neighborhood, and if a certain Lieutenant Flynn was feeling particularly determined tonight, he could easily find Yuri in a heartbeat.

Yuri ran up the block, keeping himself carefully hidden by shadow. He could still hear the sounds of the other patrons and policemen behind him—yells, sirens, whistles, and the erratic pounding of feet filled the balmy night air. Yuri sprinted several blocks away from the chaos before he pressed his back to the brick wall of another building and took a long, tired breath. The adrenaline rush that had carried him this far was slowly wearing off.

He couldn't hear the police anymore, but he knew they'd be looking for him now since Adecor and Boccos saw him. Yuri mentally kicked himself, wishing he had been just a little more cautious. Going back to the speakeasy in the first place had been reckless, yes, but he still wished he hadn't been caught. _Especially _when Flynn had let him off the hook less than twenty-four hours before.

"Yuri Loweeeeell!"

"We know you're out there!"

"Come out at once, I say!"

Yuri cringed. He recognized Lieutenant Leblanc's deep tone, accompanied by the shrill voices of his loyal underlings. Yuri looked up and down the street again, but he couldn't see any of his pursuers. That didn't scare him…yet.

Yuri pried himself away from the wall and slid back through the darkness, moving as quietly as he could manage. The sky was only partially cloudy, and the light of a waxing moon helped him distinguish the different shapes along the block—harmless cats, a few overturned trash bins, an abandoned article of clothing waving in the breeze.

But he knew that helpful moonlight could just as easily betray him to the police if he wasn't careful. He didn't want that to happen. He _couldn't _let that happen.

A gunshot suddenly pierced the air. Yuri instinctively threw himself against the sidewalk, pressing his cheek to the damp concrete.

"I say, I think I almost hit him!"

"Don't _shoot _at him!"

"I didn't! I aimed _away _from him so I could just startle him!"

Yuri rolled over on his back and saw his three favorite officers running up the street. He cursed again and pushed himself back to his feet.

"Stop right there, Yuri Lowell! Stop!"

Yuri glanced once over his shoulder as he ran, grinning when he saw the officers giving chase. He had a few choice words for the men, but he didn't have the time—or energy—to say them. He was almost in the clear, and that was all that mattered.

But Yuri was a bit nonplussed when he saw Leblanc return his smile.

_What the hell's got him so happy?_

Yuri didn't find out why until he turned around. He slid gracelessly to a stop when he saw that street ahead of him was completely blocked off by another row of policemen.

Yuri quickly glanced from side to side. He couldn't see any other means of escape—no fire emergency ladders or unblocked alleyways. Nothing. He was trapped like a rat.

One of the more decorated officers stepped away from the line, a smirk pulling at the corners of his thin lips. "My, my, how the mighty have fallen," he said, gazing down at Yuri as if he were addressing a stain on the collar of his uniform.

"Captain Cumore!" Yuri could hear Leblanc and his men shift uneasily behind him.

Cumore's gaze flicked from Yuri to Leblanc. "I see the Schwann Brigade is just as competent as ever. Haven't you three been chasing after this scrap for months now? Why is he still running around the streets like a stray dog?"

"We caught him just last night, sir! It was Lieutenant Flynn's idea to let him go!"

Cumore's smile curled into a disgusted frown. "That upstart lieutenant has no right to let criminals like Yuri Lowell run around unguarded, no matter how useful the lower quarter urchin's been to the police."

"Hey," Yuri interrupted, "Flynn's a decent officer. Probably the only decent officer in the entire force."

"You might want to rethink those words, Lowell. It was your beloved lieutenant's idea to have someone follow you to the speakeasies the last few nights."

Yuri felt the color slowly drain from his face, leaving him cold. "What was that?"

"He really doesn't deserve _all _of the credit, but he wasn't completely against the idea of having you shadowed," Cumore said with a small shrug. "We thought we could snuff out the local pubs a little faster if he had another officer follow you around—that's how we performed such successful raids the last two nights. He let you go because we still needed someone to track, but…we can't have you running free forever now, can we?"

Yuri resisted the urge to let his shoulders slump forward. He set his jaw, keeping his expression neutral. "So Flynn was just…"

Cumore's ghastly smile returned. "He has put his allegiance in the police force, not his friends."

"He's a good officer, then."

Yuri's lie was worth seeing the subtle reaction on Cumore's face. The man's grin faltered, if only for a second.

"That's enough. It's time for you to spend some more time in jail, Mr. Lowell, and I'm afraid it won't be anything like the quick, painless visits you've grown so accustomed to."

* * *

Yuri knew he should've been used to sleeping on the uncomfortable, lumpy cots after so many visits to the local jail, but there was just something about the place that always threw him off.

_Still, _he reasoned, making another vain attempt to fluff the flat pillow with his fist, _it's nice not having to worry about food and water for a while. _

He thought again of the people in the lower quarter drinking from the canal and felt another wave of guilt. His mistake was going to cost the people there a source of fresh water for a while longer.

Yuri let himself fall back on the government-issued cot, taking a deep breath to calm his mind long enough for some sleep. He almost gagged; despite the police's apparent grudge against alcohol, the entire prison block stunk like a dirty speakeasy. But Yuri wasn't surprised, given that the place was crowded with drunkards, all of whom were in various states of insobriety. He considered himself lucky to have a cell all to himself for now, but he knew it wouldn't last after another raid.

A quick glance out the barred window over his cot told him it was nearly sunset. He had already been in the prison for the better part of the day after being arrested by Captain Cumore, but he wasn't bored—_yet_, at least. He was too frustrated to be bored.

Part of him sort of admired Flynn for being so damn clever (although Yuri was still a bit miffed at himself for not realizing that his old friend was being _too _nice by letting a 'common criminal' go free). But another part—the tired, bitter part—wanted desperately to punch the law-abiding lieutenant right in the gut.

"I was just mixing drinks," Yuri muttered to himself. "It's not like I was actually drinking them."

"You weren't drinking them _yet_, you mean."

Yuri didn't sit up, but he opened one eye and glanced in the direction of the cell next to his. He couldn't see through the thick walls, but the male voice addressing him was a bit hoarse and shaky.

_Another drunk trying to strike up some friendly prison banter_, Yuri reasoned, closing his eye again.

"So is that what you're in for? Drink mixing?" his neighbor pressed once more.

"Yup."

"Somethin' that tame? Really?"

"'Fraid so."

"The police must be getting pretty desperate to pick someone like you up off the streets, huh? I mean, I'd understand if you were a drunk yourself, but you sound as sober as a man can get!"

Yuri flipped over on his stomach and sighed. "I haven't had a drink in weeks."

"Poor kid," his neighbor said. Yuri could practically hear him shaking his head with mock sympathy. "At least you'll be getting out of here pretty quick. I mean, you're not a dangerous criminal, are you?"

"Tell that to Lieutenant Flynn. He was the one who let me out a few days ago and had his cronies follow me around."

His neighbor laughed harshly. "You probably deserved that."

"Yeah, I probably did."

Yuri couldn't see the prison block door from where he sat, but he heard it open and slam shut before his cell neighbor could respond. A few of the more alert prisoners sat up, blinking lazily against the bright lamplight filtering from the hallway.

Two policemen—one older man in a highly decorated uniform and the guard that booked Yuri several hours earlier—passed the cells and stopped at his neighbor's chamber. Yuri forced himself up, shuffling past a haze of half-sleep as he moved closer to the bars. He instantly recognized the older man from his days as a member of the police force.

He scuffled back into the shadows of his cell. _Commandant Alexei!_

The commandant didn't see him. "Come on, get up," he was telling Yuri's neighbor.

"I was just getting to sleep," the drunk quipped.

Without another word the commandant pulled a ring of keys from his pocket and unlocked the cell door. A scruffy man stepped out, stretched, and scratched the back of his head. The lesser guard standing beside Alexei cringed backward, as if appalled by the prisoner's lack of etiquette.

Alexei, on the other hand, was still emotionless. "Let's go," he said, beckoning the prisoner to follow him with a brief wave of his hand.

The man gave him a lopsided smile. "Yeah, I'm comin'," he said casually, much to the guard's obvious dismay.

_Why would Commandant Alexei escort him out? I've never seen him come down here before,_ Yuri thought, watching with subdued interest as his former neighbor passed by his cell.

The prisoner suddenly tripped beside Yuri's cell. He turned his head lightly to the side and winked.

"Check the statue," he hissed so quietly that Yuri almost didn't hear him. Yuri recoiled a bit when a wave of warm air hit his face—the stench of alcohol was heavy on the man's breath.

"Hurry up," Alexei commanded. The man clumsily pushed himself back to his feet and followed.

"Strange guy," Yuri murmured as the men left the block. The other inmates relaxed again, retreating back to the dark corners of their cells when the prison doors slammed shut.

Yuri shrugged and ambled back on his cot. He was considering going back to sleep when something on the ground caught his eye.

The key to what he assumed was his cell lock was lying on the stone floor where his new friend had stumbled only moments ago.


	4. Dilemma

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry it took me such a long time to get this chapter up. I started college at the end of August, and the classes have eaten a big chunk of my free time lately. But I'm slowly settling into my new schedule, so hopefully updates will be (somewhat) regular soon. Thank you for your patience with me! (And yes, the nature of blastia in this AU will be revealed soon. Here's a hint, it's illegal...!)

And of course, thanks again to everyone who's read, reviewed, and even added the story to their alerts!

* * *

**Chapter III  
**_Dilemma_

Yuri took the key and held it tightly in the palm of his hand until later that night, when the sun had set and the sky was a deep, dark shade of blue. The other prisoners weren't watching him—they couldn't have cared less about what the black-haired, fedora-wearing man in the cell across from theirs was doing—but he still felt anxious, paranoid.

_But why would that other guy hand _me_, of all people, a key?_ Yuri wondered. But, nevertheless, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He finally had a way out of the jailhouse, and he wanted to use this rare opportunity to check in on the lower quarter and make a run for it. The police always associated him with the gangs now, so maybe he should join one after he left the Zaphias district. He couldn't help but smile wryly at the thought, wondering what Flynn would make of it.

When a majority of the guards in the vicinity had been summoned out for the nightly speakeasy raids at last, Yuri slithered to the door of his cell with the key still clutched firmly in his fist. He held his breath, casting quick glances up and down the block. He couldn't see a single uniformed soul.

_Odd_, he thought as he slid the key in its lock. He had expected at least one or two guards _somewhere _on his prison block.

He pushed the door open as slowly as he could, wincing inwardly with each screech of the hinges. The other prisoners were either asleep or absorbed in their own activities—still, no one was paying any attention to him. Yuri smirked and slunk out of his cell.

The corridor was empty, but he didn't want to hazard a run down to the farthest exit. On one hand, it was the easiest way out—that door led directly to the booking room, then the lobby, and out onto the streets—but it also held the biggest risk, since he'd be easily spotted by other prisoners and the officers still hanging around their desks. He knew that some of his envious cellmates wouldn't hesitate to rat him out whenever the guards decided to show up again.

Yuri looked back over his shoulder and toward the closer door, silently thanking his deity of choice for putting him near the end of the cellblock. He made his way carefully to the exit, moving as quickly and quietly as he dared. This door was unlocked too, and Yuri opened it in a flash.

He looked up the hallway outside and pulled his head back. It was blessedly abandoned. Yuri breathed a sigh of relief and put one foot out into the passage.

One of the prisoners behind him drew a breath. "Esca-"

Yuri flung the door closed before he could finish. The corridor fell silent again; he didn't hear anymore commotion from the block, so he assumed it was safe to move on…for now, at least, until any of the remaining policemen in the station decided to wander back.

Yuri crept down the hall, keeping his weight on the tips of his toes. He still couldn't see or hear any of the usual officers patrolling the place; he half expected one of the Tweedles to peek around the corner and spot him, eyebrows quirked and hands rushing toward the holstered guns at their waists.

_This is weird, _Yuri thought again, brow furrowed, as he slid along the brick wall. _Where _are _they?_

He glanced furtively around the corner when he finally reached the end of the hall. Ah-ha! Yuri shirked back after catching sight of a cluster of officers. He held his breath and listened; they were talking and shuffling around in what appeared to be a small lounge room.

"Another bust tonight," one—a deep-voiced male—grunted. "Night after night of this stuff. I'm ready for something new."

"Rumor is that they've found some blastia in this stash, though," his companion said.

The first officer's interest was instantly piqued. "Ohh, really, now?"

"Yup." There was a smack, and Yuri imagined the officer hitting his friend on the shoulder. "But don't get your hopes up. Lieutenant Flynn's on the job, I hear."

A crestfallen sigh. "Oh."

_That must be where everyone is, _Yuri realized. Flynn and the other lieutenants—and a few of the captains as well, if Cumore was still doing his job—must've been out with more officers than usual, busting as many alcohol-dealing establishments as they could.

Yuri suddenly heard the policemen stomp away from the lounge, coming dangerously close to his makeshift hiding place. He skirted back down the hallway and threw himself in the first partially open door he found. The overpowering scents of soap and cleaning fluid enveloped his senses as soon as he shut himself in.

_Broom closet, _he thought, wrinkling his nose. Just his luck.

Yuri impatiently held his breath and waited for the officers to pass. When he heard them enter his former prison block, he knew his time for escape had been reduced to mere seconds.

Yuri swiftly extracted himself from the closet and darted back up the hall. He was running down the corridor opposite of the lounge when one of the police officers finally raised the cry of alarm.

Yuri picked up the pace and burst into what appeared to be Lieutenant Leblanc's unoccupied office; he remembered it briefly from the few times he had been there instead of Flynn's. He turned around, eyes wide—he could see yet another hallway, but he wasn't sure where it would take him.

Would it go outside? Or would it lead him straight into the clutches of the police? Yuri had been to the police station countless times before, but in his mad dash it suddenly resembled a labyrinth of black-and-white checkered tile.

_Which way? Which damn way?!_

Yuri caught a glimpse of a red exit sign over the door at the end of that hall when he forced himself to stop and focus.

_The fire escape!_

He pelted toward it without another thought, impulsively grabbing a gun—_This might come in handy real soon!_—from Leblanc's desk on his way out.

"Yuri Loweeeell!"

Yuri faltered for a moment, and smirked when he recognized Lieutenant Leblanc's unforgettable shout.

"I don't have time for anymore games tonight, I'm afraid," Yuri said, spinning back around. The lieutenant, Adecor, and Boccos glowering at him from the passage that led back toward his cellblock.

Yuri cursed his back luck and ran. He could still see that red fire escape sign at the end of the suddenly long corridor, winking at him like a beacon.

A gunshot split the air. Yuri ducked as a bullet splintered the bulletin board to his left. Notifications and old, yellowing newspaper clippings heralding the station's past successes fluttered down to the floor like leaves.

"Don't _shoot _him, you fool!" Leblanc spat.

Yuri scrambled back to his feet. He threw all of his weight at the fire escape door and pushed it open, flying out onto the balcony before the bumbling officers could reorganize.

The station was—_thankfully_—only two floors high, and Yuri easily flung himself over the iron railing and landed on both feet in the alley below.

When he looked around, he realized with a jolt that it was almost dawn. The sky was tinged a soft shade of orange, and the last of the stars were melting away with the darkness of night. Yuri took a deep breath of fresh morning air—the smell of freedom, he thought eagerly—and ran up the alley. He was out, but he wasn't home free just yet.

Yuri had almost made it to the sidewalk before he heard the fire escape door slam open again. Adecor's warning shout broke the early silence.

"Yuri Lowell! Stop right there, I say!"

Yuri knew he only had seconds to act. He wondered fleetingly if he could somehow distract them with a wild shot over their shoulders—it was something they liked to do to him, anyway. He shifted, reaching out with his gun, before he caught sight of a building across the street. One of its large front windows was broken.

_Perfect._

Fueled by pure adrenaline, Yuri shot across the block and launched himself through the shattered window. Sharp, hidden shards of glass tore at the palm of his exposed left hand as he pulled himself up.

Yuri promptly lost his balance, hit the ground inside headfirst, and rolled across the richly carpeted floor before he came to a stop beside an armchair. He flopped over on his back, stunned for a few long seconds before the pain really hit him.

Fire—a hot, madly throbbing agony—burned in the gash on his palm as blood smeared across the floor and the front of his shirt. Yuri held his hand open, grimacing, _wishing_ for a moment that he could simply curl into himself and block out the pain; it hurt worse than he ever imagined a cut could.

But he forced himself to shove the feeling aside, and he sat up uneasily. Yuri peered at his hand in the pale light from the broken window—the cut was fairly shallow despite the pain, and he didn't seem to have torn any muscle. However, it was still bleeding too profusely for him to tell if there was any glass stuck inside.

More of the policemen shouted from the streets, and the jarring sounds managed to bring Yuri back to reality.

He had to get away. _Fast_.

Yuri stood, cradling his injury against his chest. He gripped his gun in his other hand and surveyed the room to see if there was another way out. It appeared to be a lobby of some sort, decorated with some of the nicest, fanciest (and most expensive) furniture he had ever seen. Everything was impeccably clean, polished and dusted to complete perfection—aside from the shattered glass and Yuri's blood on the carpet, of course.

Yuri knew that this building was across the street from the police headquarters. He tried to think back, to remember what business was supposed to be here. He had been to the police station a lot lately, and he had even grown up in the Zaphias district—so why couldn't he recall the name of a structure he had passed probably a hundred times in his life?

Yuri finally noticed the company logo emblazoned beside a set of wooden doors in the corner of the lobby. It read Full Moon Inc.

Ohh, that was right.

Yuri made his way to the doors and quietly pulled them open. Behind them was a long, dark hall lined with what Yuri guessed were offices and conference rooms.

There _had _to be another way out, probably somewhere beyond the hallway. Yuri knew he only had to evade the police for a little while longer.

Yuri instinctively tensed, hitching his breath when he put too much pressure on his cut palm. _Dammit. _It felt as though he had stabbed it with a knife and twisted—but if he wanted medical attention any time soon, he'd have to go find it in another district.

"Dammit, Flynn…you're causing me a hell of a lot of trouble," Yuri hissed quietly.

Something shuffled in one of the rooms at the end of the hall, roused by his cursing.

Yuri froze; he was already halfway down the corridor with nowhere to run. If he went back, he'd be at the mercy of Lieutenant Leblanc and his men. But if he kept going forward, who knew what kind of person he'd run into?

_Maybe just a skinny office rat who'll let me through without a problem,_ Yuri thought, hopefully.

Someone moved slowly out into the hall before he could make up his mind.

"Who's there?!" a female voice demanded. Yuri made out the features of the barely familiar, bright haired girl he had seen in the police station only the day before.

"Er, hey," he managed after a tense pause.

The girl's stare hardened. Yuri squinted and saw what appeared to be a replica sword in her hands. An imitation, yes, but a _sword—_a sharp and decidedly dangerous weapon_—_nonetheless.

"You're covered in _blood,_ and you're armed too," she murmured with just a slight tremor of fear in her tone. "You're one of _them_, aren't you?"

Yuri followed her gaze and saw his grisly clothes and the gun he'd forgotten he was even holding.

"Oh, crap," he muttered humorlessly.

There was something very, very wrong going on at Full Moon Inc. that night, and apparently Yuri had stumbled in at the worst possible time.


	5. Tenuous

**Author's Note: **Thanks again for being patient with my crazy updating schedule (and the weird typos that I've noticed popping up in chapters--I look out for those, but they keep slipping past me!). And thanks once more to everyone who's been reading and reviewing since the last chapter!

One more thing: this version of Estelle has actually been outside, so she's not quite as sheltered as the original Estelle.

* * *

**Chapter IV**  
_Tenuous_

Yuri stood with his bleeding hand cradled to his chest, silently debating over whether it would be a wise idea to drop his gun or not. He wasn't going to _shoot_ the girl—she was only defending herself, after all.

But what exactly was she defending herself from? Full Moon Inc. had always seemed like a peaceful operation…from the outside, anyway. Yuri wasn't quite sure what went on behind closed doors, but he had a feeling that he was about to find out.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" the girl asked again, poking the sword dangerously in his direction.

"I…" Yuri stopped and tentatively pressed his dry lips together. "Who, exactly?"

She lowered her imitation sword a fraction of an inch, but her gaze was still steely and determined as she faced the black-haired intruder.

"I don't know _how_ you got in here-"

"Broken window." Yuri held out his gory hand.

The girl blanched delicately, and for a moment Yuri wished he had kept the gruesome injury to himself. "O-Oh!" she gasped.

She stepped back, hesitating for a moment while Yuri waited for her to respond. When she said nothing, he offered, "I cut my hand when I came through that window."

"But, why did you come through the window? Why are you here if you're not one of _them_?"

Yuri quickly fished for an excuse. Somehow, he didn't think "I'm an escapee and I was trying to get way from the police" would suffice.

Another muffled yell from the street outside saved him the trouble of coming up with an acceptable response. The girl flinched at the sound and beckoned him into the office he had seen her come out of only seconds ago.

"Hurry," she breathed before slipping into the darkness.

Yuri followed, albeit reluctantly. He felt like he was wasting too much time.

"Listen, I'm sorry, but I can't stick around for much longer. I…ah, I'm sort of in a hurry."

Well, it wasn't _too _far from the truth.

To his surprise—and relief—the girl only nodded. "Come on. No one can get in here," she said. She shut the door behind him, locked it with a set of keys from her coat pocket, and retreated to a large desk in the back of the office. She opened a drawer and began fumbling through its contents.

Yuri fidgeted restlessly. "You're sure this is safe?" When the police came, he knew they'd search _every _room without exception_. _And if he was caught again, he doubted he would get off with another short jaunt in the jailhouse.

"I've been hiding in here for a while from those…those people." The girl shuddered briefly. Yuri watched her extract what appeared to be a white box from the drawer.

"Come here for a second," she said, perching on the edge of a plush sofa beside the desk. "Let me look at your hand."

Yuri crossed the room and seated himself on what was probably the most expensive piece of furniture he had ever touched in his life. He noted now that the office had the same subtle elegance as the lobby; the carpet was a rich shade of wine red, and the furnishings—the massive mahogany desk, a few scattered chairs, and a set of tall bookcases—all carried that certain air of quiet sophistication.

The girl gingerly took Yuri's hand, inspecting his cut in the warm sunlight that was filtering through gaps in the curtained windows.

"Hmm," she murmured. "Not too bad, but it must really hurt. Here, let's clean it up."

Yuri watched with mild interest as she worked with the first aid kit at her side. "You're not squeamish at all, are you?" he asked, a bit impressed at her show of strength.

"Not really, no. I've always sort of wanted to be a nurse." She ducked her head, clearly embarrassed. "I've read a lot about it in my free time. What I'm doing now is pretty basic, though," she continued modestly.

"Ah," was the only response Yuri could think of. His earlier adrenaline rush was finally taking its toll on his tired body; he was exhausted, but he had to keep himself from falling asleep. He hadn't slept properly in long time either, now that he thought about it.

The girl fell silent as she carefully wiped away the drying blood with a cloth. Yuri looked up at the windows, half-expecting Leblanc or the Tweedles to come crashing through one of them at any second. He swallowed nervously, and a violent wave of anxiousness suddenly clawed at his insides, pushing away some vestiges of weariness from his system.

"So, who broke the window out front?" he finally asked, hoping—in vain—to distract himself.

The girl's expression hardened. "I don't know _who _they were, exactly. But they wore hoods and had these bright red eyes. They even left a threatening phone call a few days ago."

"The Red Eyes," Yuri muttered.

"You know them?"

"Not personally. But I've heard rumors about them, none too pretty."

The girl nodded faintly. "I don't know what they want. They just broke in and started tearing the place up, like they were looking for something."

"You've been hiding in here?"

"Yes. I stay late sometimes and read or do paperwork, but tonight…" She trailed off with a light shiver.

Yuri narrowed his eyes, but he had nothing else to say. He waited with just a little impatience as she took a pair of tweezers from the kit.

"You've got some small pieces of glass in there," she said. Yuri flinched when she delicately plucked the first fragment out.

"Don't worry, this'll be quick," she assured him. "By the way, you never told me what exactly you're doing here. You dodged the question earlier."

"Getting away from someone."

"Oh…okay." She didn't seem at all satisfied with his answer, but she didn't press him for more information right away. Yuri was silently thankful for that.

"Say," the girl said abruptly as she removed another thorn-like shard of glass from the gash, "didn't I see you in the police station the other day?"

"In the lobby? Yeah. You were asking for Flynn."

She glanced up at him with curious green eyes. "You talk about Lieutenant Flynn like you know him."

"Flynn's a friend of mine. We grew up together."

"Oh!" She leaned forward and accidentally pinched Yuri's sore arm. He winced.

"Sorry," she apologized quickly. "But you must be Yuri Lowell, right? Flynn has told me about you before!"

Yuri was only a little surprised that she wasn't afraid of him now. "Oh, yeah? Good or bad things?"

"Er…" She gave him a tiny grin. "Both. But he said you get yourself in a lot of trouble."

"Haha. Yeah, I guess you could say that."

The girl shrugged and finally exchanged the tweezers for a bottle of clear fluid. "So the people following you… The police, I'm guessing?" she asked wryly, twisting off the lid before she applied a layer of thick, syrupy liquid to Yuri's cut. He cringed inwardly—it burned when it touched the wound, so he assumed it was antibacterial fluid.

"Yeah, something like that," he said with a quiet grimace.

Part of Yuri expected her to turn around and call for the officers—he honestly wouldn't have been shocked—but she didn't. The girl gently put the bottle away and withdrew a roll of gauze bandages.

"Have you spoken to Lieutenant Flynn lately?" she asked.

"Not since yesterday, when he was chewing me out."

"Did he say anything then? About being in trouble, or something?"

"Nope. But he isn't the type of guy who would toss his issues on someone else's shoulders."

"Yes, that's true," the girl admitted dismally. She furrowed her brow as she wrapped creamy-white gauze around his clean hand.

"I _have_ to find him. He's the only officer who will believe me now," she continued, "and I'm afraid he might be in trouble as well…"

"Flynn? In trouble?"

"Yes. Some of those people—the Red Eyes—were talking about him when they came to raid the building. They said something about _hurting _him. Maybe they found out that I went to talk to him about their phone call yesterday…"

Yuri waved it off, but he still couldn't deny the pang of worry he felt in the back of his mind.

"Flynn'll be okay. He's tough," he assured the girl, and himself.

"I know, but I have to find him and talk to him."

"What about the other officers? Can't they help? That's their job."

"No, it has to be Lieutenant Flynn."

Yuri couldn't help but smirk at her stubbornness. She was too busy to notice him, though; she had just finished wrapping the bandage and, much to Yuri's dismay, she tied it in a neat little bow on the top of his hand.

"Cute," he managed, holding it up.

"It'll do." She put the roll back in the first aid kit and stood. "You're on the run from the police, aren't you? Where are you going after this?"

"Dunno. I can't go home, and I guess I was sort of planning on leaving the district anyway. Unless you turn me in, of course."

She shook her head. "I'm not. You can help me out, and I'll keep your secret…well, a secret," she said with a wink.

"Ohh, bribery, huh? You're not as innocent as you look."

She pointed at the fresh bandage on his hand. "I helped you out, so maybe you can help me out," she started. "I heard that Lieutenant Flynn's doing a…er, an alcohol bust in the Halure district tonight after sunset. I've never left the Zaphias district before, and you said you were going to leave, so-"

"Okay, okay. I'll help you get to the Halure district, if that's what you want."

"Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Lowell! I really appreciate it," she said, clasping her hands together. "Oh, and we can take the back way out of here to avoid the police…who I'm assuming didn't see you come in here?"

"I guess not, but we really don't have any time left. They'll want to investigate that broken window sooner or later."

"Okay," she agreed with a nod. She unlocked the office door again and quietly pushed it open.

"By the way," Yuri said, following her back out into the main hall, "you don't happen to have a name, do you?"

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself in all the confusion earlier." The girl turned around and gave him a quick curtsy. "I'm Estellise Sidos Heurassein."

"Whoa, that's a mouthful. Mind if I just call you Estelle, or are nicknames not your thing?"

"Estelle?" She repeated the name slowly, as if tasting its flavor. "I've never had a nickname before…"

"Good, I'll take that as a yes." Yuri felt another spike of anxiety in his stomach when he heard the noises outside—it was a bit quieter now, but he could still catch the shouts of Leblanc, Adecor, and Boccos, who had probably been left behind to patrol the area.

"Follow me. This will take us to the alley behind the building," Estelle said, gesturing to him with a wave.

Yuri accompanied her down the silent corridor, and Estelle led him to another set of double doors at the end. Up close, Yuri could see that the doorknobs had been ripped clean off, leaving a fine dusting of splinters across the floor.

"The Red Eyes did this," Estelle told him grimly. She opened one of the massive doors a crack and slowly peeked inside.

"They really did a number on the place," Yuri agreed. "You're sure they're not still hanging around?"

"Yes. They attacked right after it got dark, and they left when they realized that whatever they wanted wasn't here," she said. "The building is usually guarded by several officers from the precinct, but all the available ones were summoned for the busts tonight."

_The Red Eyes knew the best time to strike, then, _Yuri thought. "So the officers didn't stay even after you told them about the phone call?"

Estelle stepped gingerly over the threshold and paused. Yuri could see a flight of steps and a very heavy-looking metal door in the narrow stairwell over her shoulder.

"I mentioned it to them, but they said one of their superiors demanded that they go on those busts. That's another reason why only Flynn can help me—he'll listen when they didn't. I just haven't been able to get a hold of him for the past few days because he's so busy."

"Definitely strange," Yuri muttered. "Here, Estelle. Let me check this out first."

Estelle wavered and stood aside, letting her new companion walk past her. Yuri took a few cautious steps inside before he noticed that the doorway leading out to the alley was partly open. He tightened his grip on the stolen gun in his uninjured hand and inched forward.

But the threat came from the staircase above.

Yuri heard someone shout, "I've got you, _Flynn Scifo!_" before a sizeable weight crashed into his back.


	6. Flight

**Author's Note: **Oh man, I'm sorry this chapter took _way _longer than the others to post! Truthfully, I had half of it done at the beginning of November, but I participated in NaNoWriMo all of last month so I focused the bulk of my writing time and energy on that. But now it's finished and I can get back to working on _Impromptu _between classes again!

Thank you all _so_ much for your patience!

* * *

**Chapter V  
**_Flight_

Yuri barely had time to react. He toppled over when a heavy weight attached itself to his back and pushed him forward with apparent ease. He threw out his hands to stop the fall, but he was a few seconds too late; his face connected painfully with the concrete floor.

Yuri distinctly felt two heels pressing into each of his shoulder blades. He realized with a jolt that it was a _person_—and a crazy one, at that—who'd jumped from the staircase to ambush him.

"I've got you, _Flynn Scifo_," a voice hissed in Yuri's ear. Uncomfortably hot air raked his cheek as the assailant spoke. "And I'm going to _kill _you."

"What are you talking about? I'm not Fly-"

Only part of Yuri's protest made it out of his mouth before the metallic edge of a knife was pressed against his neck. His attacker drew the blade across the base of his neckline, creating a curved line across the soft, vulnerable skin. It stung, but Yuri didn't wince; it wasn't quite as agonizing as the glass cut he'd received only an hour or so earlier.

"Stop it!" Yuri heard Estelle's shouted warning and the sound of clothes ripping at the same time. The person—or _creature_, whatever it was—growled and promptly sprung off his back.

Yuri took advantage of the momentary distraction and rolled over. He jumped to his feet and saw Estelle brandishing her imitation sword at a man Yuri assumed was the one who tackled him.

His assailant wore all black, and his spiky hair was a startling combination of pink and golden-yellow. There was a shallow, crooked gash stretching from one of his shoulders to the other—the result of Estelle's attack, Yuri presumed.

Yuri's gaze quickly traveled down to the weapons in the man's hands.

"Butcher knives?" he said incredulously.

The man smiled cruelly before he responded. "I like to see people _bleed_. Firearms kill too fast."

"All right. Your handicap," Yuri said, managing a confident smirk of his own. He cocked the gun in his good hand; he was definitely glad now that he'd had the gall to steal it from Leblanc's office.

"Be careful," Estelle warned him, tightening her grip on the sword she'd retrieved from the office.

"Oh, _do_ be careful, Flynn Scifo," the man crooned mockingly.

"My name isn't Flynn! You've got the wrong guy," Yuri objected with a tired groan "Damn, Flynn really _is _getting me in all kinds of trouble…"

The man only quirked an eyebrow and lunged at him. Yuri jumped aside, aimed the barrel of his gun, and shot at the man's legs. He missed his mark when the assassin dodged sharply to the right, and the bullet smacked into the floor with a tiny shower of sparks.

The pointed edge of a knife skimmed past his neck. Yuri ducked and fired again—this time at the man's arms, hoping to disable him. But the assassin danced away with surprising grace, leaping backward to land on the stairway.

"You're not as polished as they told me you'd be," he said, running his tongue eagerly over his teeth. "I'm rather disappointed."

"I'm getting sort of tired of being mistaken for Flynn," Yuri said. He shot at the man, who jerked away and dodged the bullet once more. Yuri cursed under his breath and took aim again.

Estelle swung at the assassin as he slid past her. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Why are you here?"

"For Flynn Scifo's _blood_." He dove at Yuri for a third time, swinging one of the butcher knives in his hand.

Yuri pulled the trigger, expecting to miss yet again, but this time he was rewarded with a howl of pain. Something warm and sticky spattered his cheek as the assassin hit the ground beside him.

Yuri swiped a hand over his face, smearing the liquid across his chin. Blood. _Ugh. _

"You've made me _bleed_!" the assassin suddenly crowed, somehow managing to sound both surprised and completely enthusiastic despite his new injury. He pushed himself up, his hand clenched around his reddening arm.

"How…how he is strange," Estelle murmured cautiously, positioning herself beside Yuri.

"We're going to ask you one more time," Yuri said, keeping a steady voice; the assassin's persistent gaze was starting to unnerve him. "Who the _hell_ are you and why are you wandering around Full Moon?"

The man sauntered forward, clearly relishing the moment. "I already told you. For Flynn Scifo's _blood_."

"Well, tough luck. Flynn isn't here. But damn, he sure has made some interesting friends since I left the force…"

"Hrm." The assassin made a noise in his throat that reminded Yuri of an unsettling snarl. "_You _made me bleed, though. Maybe you're even better than I thought!"

"Er." Yuri wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

Someone thrust open the heavy metal door behind them and saved Yuri the trouble of having to answer the crazed assassin. Everyone except the new intruder jumped back, stunned by the flood of sunlight from outside and the sudden appearance of another Red Eye.

A deadly silence fell over the stairwell. Yuri stood motionlessly with the gun in his hand, waiting for someone else to make the first—and possibly fatal—move.

"Zagi," the Red Eye said. "Let's go. The police will be here any minute."

"Shut up!" the assassin—Zagi—spat. He turned and gave Yuri a look he was sure would've had the dead tossing in their graves. "I'm finally getting to the best part! This is _fun_, much too fun!"

"Then stay, if you'd like." The Red Eye's tone was smug, but rushed. "Then you'll never have fun like this again."

Zagi's suave visage shattered, but only to be swiftly replaced by a glare of murderous rage. Yuri's finger tightened instinctively around the trigger of his weapon, but Zagi leapt out of range before he could even think to pull it.

"You're _ruining everything_!" Zagi roared as spun around and lashed out at the Red Eye. The butcher knives tore easily through the hooded man's unprotected chest, and a spray of crimson misted the air before his corpse crumpled over and stuck the concrete floor.

Yuri was taken aback, too startled by Zagi's bizarre mood swings to speak for a moment. Estelle gave a tiny, anxious gasp, but to his relief she didn't move or drop her sword.

Zagi stared back at Yuri over his shoulder, his grin returning as though it had never left his face.

"I look forward to playing with you again soon," Zagi purred. He slunk carefully out the door, his bloodthirsty smile lingering until he was far enough outside to disappear from their sight.

Yuri kept his stance for a while longer, his gaze locked on the now-empty doorway. He heard and saw nothing after a few minutes passed, but he knew better than to relax; he'd been in far too many run-ins over the past twenty-four hours to let his guard down for _anything_.

"Phew." Estelle sighed quietly. Yuri heard her take two steps closer until she was only several inches away from where he was standing.

"Careful," he warned, holding out a hand to block her progress.

"I'm just checking these cuts to make sure they won't get infected," she said quietly. A minute shiver shot up Yuri's spine when she touched the scarlet lines on his neck.

"I think it's fine," he said, pulling away. Yuri moved closer to the door and tentatively poked his head out into the deceptively cheerful midmorning sunshine. He still couldn't see or hear anyone in the narrow alley.

It definitely _seemed _safe to leave.

"Let's get going. Someone might've heard the fight," Estelle urged him.

"Yeah. I think we should head out," he agreed with a quick nod.

"Where to first?"

"We could try to walk to the Halure district," he suggested, "but we'll really be sticking our necks out."

"What about the bus? Would that be all right?"

"Not if the police have already put up an alert."

"So…we're stuck," Estelle said, a bit flatly.

Yuri looked up and down the alley. Going back to the main road was clearly out of the question at this point—there would be too many police officers out prowling the roads like hungry predators.

"A car," he said suddenly. He turned back to Estelle, who was staring after him curiously. "Do you have any expendable ones?" he asked. "Like, a company car or something."

"We have a few," she said slowly. "Why? What are you going to do with it?"

"Drive it as close to the Halure district as possible. That'll buy us some time."

"What if someone finds the car after we've left it? They could trace it back to Full Moon."

"We'll both be where we need to be by then."

Estelle bit her lip, staring apprehensively over his shoulder and out toward the street. She caught a glimpse of a few people walking along the sidewalks. They seemed oblivious for now, but she knew that wouldn't last for much longer.

"Well…all right," she finally said. "You seem to know more about this than I do. Come on, they're parked out back."

* * *

It was _working._

Yuri couldn't believe that _finally_, for the first time in several long days, one of his plans was actually _working_ without a single hitch.

Estelle sat quietly in the passenger's seat of the seemingly normal, unmarked company car with her hands folded neatly in her lap. Yuri glanced briefly at her from the corner of his eye and caught sight of a contented smile from beneath the brim of her hat. At his insistence she'd donned a cream-colored cloche to hide her bright hair and part of her face.

"How often do you drive?" she asked suddenly, noticing his furtive gaze.

Yuri smirked as he wove expertly through the streets of Zaphias, all while maintaining a low profile to keep the citizens outside from staring at them for too long. Still, he had to admit that he liked having the rare chance to show off for a short while.

"Oh, I got to drive the police cars around a little when I was still on the force," he replied nonchalantly. "And every once in a while I get to make deliveries." Alcoholic ones, he added mentally.

"So you don't have your own car?"

Yuri chuckled dryly. "I'm too poor to afford one."

"What about your jobs- Oh." Estelle clamped her lips together and glanced away.

Yuri laughed again. "They're more like a series of pastimes. I do get paid for them, but I only keep a little of the money to feed myself and pay the rent."

"Flynn said that you give some to the Lower Quarter too," Estelle remarked with a tiny grin.

"Yeah. They need the cash, but a lot of them don't want to up and admit it."

"Ah," was all Estelle could think to say, and the two of them lapsed into a fitful silence.

A passing glance in the rearview mirror assured Yuri that his long, dark hair was still tucked safely beneath the fedora on his head. It wasn't the best disguise, but he hoped it would be enough to fool the cops if they happened to glimpse him at the wheel as they drove by. Yuri gave the roads another quick scan, seeking out the gray and navy-blue police uniforms he'd (unfortunately) grown so accustomed to seeing.

He saw nothing. No police officers, no plainclothes detectives that he'd recognize from the precinct. It was lucky…but _too _lucky for him to be able to lounge comfortably in the driver's seat. He knew that the officers should be out either looking for him or for the runaway partygoers left over from the last couple of nightly busts.

Besides, Leblanc and the Tweedles had never given up so easily.

It unnerved Yuri, but he wasn't about to let it show. In a way, he sort of found himself envying Estelle, who was completely thrilled about visiting the districts away from Zaphias for the very first time. He wished he could share her enthusiasm for a new adventure.

_I used to_, he thought somewhat bitterly. He imagined himself again in an officer's uniform, running after a criminal with the crisp night air in his lungs and Flynn at his side.

_No._ He shook his head to dispel the memory. He was different now, and he had a new life that he'd already embraced.

"Yuri," Estelle said, effectively interrupting his reverie, "why are we going toward the Lower Quarter? Can't we just get to Halure from streets near Full Moon?"

"Oh, yeah. But there will be fewer people hanging around here," Yuri replied. Truthfully, he hadn't noticed that he was unconsciously driving himself home, but things could still work out this way. He realized now that leaving from this part of the district would actually be easier, even if it was going to take a bit longer to get to the outskirts of Halure.

Estelle gave a small shrug, apparently content with his answer. She said nothing until Yuri turned into the Lower Quarter and drove closer to Zaphias's second exit.

"Wow, it looks like a lot of people are trying to leave today," she remarked as they stopped behind a line of other cars. A few people were already standing out on the sidewalk, all waiting to be checked by several cops.

Yuri saw Leblanc and the Tweedles among the officers. This was just his luck…or karma. Was this what he got for breaking out of jail and selling alcohol despite the law?

"Yuri…?" Estelle asked nervously, noticing how tightly his good hand curled around the steering wheel.

"Of course," he muttered. "Police checkpoints. I should've known."

It seemed his plan wasn't destined to work out so perfectly after all. _Someone _out there really had it in for him.


	7. Open Air

****Oh gosh, I...I really have no excuse for taking so long with this chapter. My apologies, everyone. I'd really love to continue writing this, though; and the updates may be a bit slow since I'm still in school for a bit longer, but they shouldn't take two or three years again, haha. Thanks for sticking with me, and hello to any new readers. :)

* * *

**Chapter VI  
**_Open Air_

Yuri swerved out of the checkpoint line and parked swiftly along an adjacent curb. Estelle's light protest was cut off when he yanked himself out of the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.

"Yuri!" she cried, sliding out of the vehicle behind him. Estelle came to a stop beside him on the sidewalk, where he was watching the mingling police officers from a safe distance.

"We can't just drive through," he said, half to himself. He pulled his fedora lower over his face as he spoke. "They'll definitely catch us that way."

"Is there a way around them?"

Yuri paused thoughtfully, scanning the area with a careful eye. The officers seemed preoccupied with the line of cars, but he knew he couldn't risk simply sneaking past their checkpoint. He'd have to be much craftier now. And lucky. He'd need lots of luck.

Estelle watched him in thoughtful silence, making no comment as he stared down the road.

"On your way to Halure, too?"

Both started. A woman had disentangled herself from the crowd and had came to stand beside them, one hand perched on her hip while the other brushed long hair from her eyes. There was something vaguely familiar about the woman and the way she carried herself, but Yuri couldn't quite place her.

"Yeah, we are," he said after a pause. "I wasn't expecting a checkpoint."

"Me neither. Just look at the traffic they've caused. At this rate I'll never get my shipments in on time."

"I'm sorry, but you are...?"

The woman only smiled. "I'm surprised you don't remember me. I was at your bar a few days ago. And you're far more handsome in a vest, if you don't mind my saying."

Yuri recognized her then. She'd ordered an entire case of champagne the night she came to the speakeasy, before she returned to her table of well-to-do cronies. His supervisor pointed her out as a gang member later, though he couldn't recall which she belonged to.

"Don't mind at all," he said. "And it's not my bar, exactly."

Her grin widened. "The name's Kaufman. I...work in distribution and trades, you could say."

Estelle couldn't help but jump in then. "You're in a hurry too, aren't you? Do you know any other ways around the police checkpoints?"

"I'm afraid there's not much we can do at this point. Every exit in Zaphias is sealed off."

"Shame," Yuri said with a frown. "But I guess it's no point in getting worked up. We can figure something out."

Estelle bit her lip. "But...but this is an emergency! We absolutely _need _to get through!"

Kaufman looked at them curiously. "It's _that _important, is it? Something that really can't wait?"

"You'd think someone involved in distribution and trade would know a few extra routes around the city," Yuri pointed out.

"And you'd be right. Listen, I'll tell you what: if I help you out today, you're going to owe me sometime in the future."

"You trust us to follow through with that?"

"You'd better. I've got ways of finding things out, Barkeep. I'll find you sooner or later."

Estelle took him by the elbow. "Let's agree with her, please. I'll take care of your share of the work if you don't want to."

Yuri looked back and forth between the desperate Estelle and cunning Kaufman. The thought of getting deeper with the gangs didn't sit well with him, but...

"All right. But only because this is an emergency."

Estelle nearly jumped for joy. Kaufman only grinned wider than she had before.

"Good choice, Barkeep," she said, before nodding away from the crowd. "There's a back alley about a block down. I doubt it's being patrolled as heavily as the streets right now. Go up the fire escape and make your way over the rooftops. If you're quick and careful, you'll find yourself in Halure quicker than you can blink," she said.

"Thank you so much," Estelle said, giving Kaufman a short, respectful bow before she turned away.

"Hey!" Yuri called, but she'd already disappeared around the street corner.

"Looks like you've got yourself a bit of a handful."

"You can say that again."

Kaufman couldn't help but chuckle. "Good luck, Barkeep. I'll be seeing you again."

Yuri reluctantly chose to ignore the dread he felt growing in the pit of his stomach. Instead he chased after Estelle, down the road and through the throngs of people. He found her standing beside the alley that Kaufman had pointed out only moments before, her hands clasped nervously at her front.

"In here?" she asked, sounding more curious than disgusted. Yuri couldn't help but feel a bit of pride for the sheltered girl.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine," he assured her.

The alleyway was much narrower than he'd anticipated. Yuri pressed his back to the cool brick wall, moving sideways to avoid trashcans and overturned boxes. He glanced once over his shoulder to make sure Estelle hadn't run off again; much to his relief, the girl was still trailing close behind him.

"How far is it to the Halure district?" she asked, stepping delicately over a muddy puddle.

"Well, technically it's a few feet away, but I don't know how tight security is over there. We're going to take a bit of a detour."

Estelle's face lit up. "Really? Where are we going?"

He smirked, then reached forward to tap the metal fire escape they'd stopped at. "We're going up."

Her smile only widened. Yuri helped her as they climbed, navigating carefully up the steep stairwell and past open windows until they reached the top.

Estelle gasped the moment she set foot on the roofs.

The entire Zaphias district - as well as a small part of Halure's - spread out before them like the pages of a book. Impossibly tall buildings, black swirls of chimney smoke, the ant-like people and cars: they had a near-perfect view of it all. Estelle perched cautiously at the edge of the roof, jaw slack and eyes wide.

"It's...it's amazing," she breathed. "I've never seen the district like this. From up here."

Yuri came to stand beside her. "Nice, isn't it? It looks even better at night, when everything's all lit up."

Estelle spun back around to face him. "Do you think we could come up here again sometime? I'd love to see it."

"Maybe." He gave a halfhearted shrug. "We're going to have to lose these police first, though."

She looked back over the district once more before she shied away from the edge. They could hear the distant wail of police sirens now, amongst the impatient chatter of people and honking cars.

"The view from the company building wasn't this amazing, even from the highest floors," she continued as Yuri led the way to the opposite side of the building. "It's so different up here, with the open sky and the fresh air..."

"Did you see all the chimney smoke? We're breathing in more of that junk than fresh air."

Estelle's smile never faltered. "It's still a completely different experience!"

"Well, I'm glad one of us is having fun," he said, although he was smiling.

Yuri glanced over the edge before he descended the next fire escape. The alley below was dark despite the morning light, but he could still make out the two sentinel policemen standing guard at the bottom. They seemed to be squabbling amongst themselves - about what, Yuri couldn't hear and didn't care to know - but they weren't distracted enough that he could slip by.

"Damn it," he muttered.

"What is it?"

"Cops. We need to find another route."

"Is there another way down? Er, besides jumping, of course."

"Actually, now that you mention jumping, it's really not that far across..."

Estelle stared at Yuri. Then she turned to the gap between the roof they were standing on and the one beside them. Her face went a strange shade of white.

"You're not thinking of-"

But he'd already started running. Estelle gave a startled cry as he pushed off the edge of the building, arms and legs flailing, before he landed unsteadily on the other side. Yuri felt his feet slip beneath him, the wild panic mounting in his chest - before he managed to right himself again with a sharp gasp.

His heart was pounding in his throat, but he turned back to Estelle with a theatrical flourish. "See? Nothing to it."

The girl clapped politely. "Wow, that was amazing! Where did you learn to do that?"

"You pick up a few tricks in the Lower Quarter." Yuri extended a hand. "And now it's your turn."

Estelle's clapping immediately stopped. "M-Me? Are you sure? I've never done something like this before..."

"It's a little scary the first time, but I'll be here to catch you. Promise you won't fall."

She looked down between the buildings. The gap that had been relatively short before suddenly seemed so much longer. Impossibly long. She edged back a few paces, breathing fast and heavy.

"I wouldn't make you do this if I didn't think you could make it."

Estelle met Yuri's eyes then. He was staring back at her, so calm and so confident.

She steeled herself and broke into a run.

The gap came closer. Closer. _Closer. _And suddenly there was nothing beneath her feet and she was flying through the air, light as a bird but far less graceful. For a moment she felt her stomach drop and she imagined herself falling to the ground, but Yuri's strong arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her safely to the other side.

Estelle breathed a sigh when she finally touched solid ground.

"Thank you for this, Yuri," she said, breathless and giddy with relief. "I appreciate you bringing me this far."

"Don't thank me just yet," he said. "We've still got a ways to go."


	8. Discovery

Ah, it took me less than a month this time...! I've just moved to a completely new state to continue my university work, but things are slowly beginning to settle down so I can work on writing again. :) Thank you all so much for your patience and kind reviews. I appreciate it so much.

Also woohoo finally new POVs in this chapter. And we're straying from the game's plot stuff a bit more...!

* * *

**Chapter VII  
**_Discovery_

Estelle was visibly relieved when her feet touched the concrete sidewalk once more. Yuri helped her down the fire escape, and with a curious smile, she took her first few steps into the Halure district.

It was an assault on the senses. There was far more greenery there than in Zaphias, what with the well-tended flowerbeds and budding trees. She wanted to look everywhere, to see everything there was to see: the colorful tulips and tiny daisies, the soft greens of the leaves, the way it all mixed together to create something truly wonderful. And the _smells_. She'd kept her own flowers from time to time, of course, but none of them had ever been this fragrant.

Yuri regarded her with a crooked grin. "First time seeing trees?"

The sarcasm flew right over her head. "I've never seen anything quite like this before! I mean, I've seen trees and flowers before, but this...! Oh, it's just like in the books, but it's even more amazing to see it for myself!"

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty nice when you're seeing it for the first time. I've never really thought of it that way."

"Zaphias has nothing like this. I wonder if we could petition the district to plant more..."

"Nah, this is Halure's thing. Enjoy it while we're here."

Estelle's grin only widened. "Oh, I will!"

They made their way deeper into the district, past the bright shop fronts and the people milling throughout the flower-lined roads. It surprised Estelle how _different _this district was from her own, despite the fact that they were so close together. The buildings here were shorter, but painted with earthier colors. Everyone seemed happier and more laid-back. Even the air itself was lighter and easier to breathe.

"If I didn't live in Zaphias, I'd want to live here," she said with a dreamy sigh.

"You sure? Halure's kind of...slow."

"What's wrong with slow?"

Yuri gave a shrug. "Nothing, I guess. It's just not my thing. I like hustle and bustle."

"I'm not sure how I feel," Estelle said, quieter now. "I suppose I can't say much because I'm stuck inside most of the time, but...I feel lost in Zaphias. Like maybe I don't belong."

"Of course you belong."

She offered a wan smile. "Perhaps," she said, and left it at that.

Yuri frowned, but said nothing more. This wasn't something to press; he knew that. Instead he glanced around, looking for clues as to where Flynn might be. That assistant of his - Sodia, was that her name? - would be the most obvious sign. She never strayed far from her dear lieutenant's side. But he couldn't see her, or-

There were shouts from behind them. Yuri spun around, his hand flying protectively to Estelle's shoulder. She turned with him and gave a surprised gasp.

Men in uniform were making their way up the street. Yuri didn't recognize any of them, but he had a feeling they might recognize him soon enough.

"Police," he muttered, pulling Estelle through the front door of the closest shop.

The warm, overpowering smells of bacon and maple syrup were like a slap in the face. It took Yuri a moment to realize that he'd dragged them both into a diner. The room was bustling, and nearly filled to the brim with customers sipping from mugs and cutting pancakes into uneven squares despite the fact that it was already fairly late in the morning.

Yuri gave an inward sigh. It wasn't the best hiding place, but for now, it would have to do.

"Are you sure we'll be safe in here?" Estelle voiced his concerns as he led her to one of the multicolored booths. The vinyl seats were cracked, but surprisingly comfortable. She slid to the spot across from Yuri, eyes wide with worry.

Yuri pulled his hat farther over his eyes. "We'll have to hope so. If we go back out there, we're done for."

"Maybe Flynn was with them."

"I doubt it. He's supposed to be with the raid, remember? Those guys out there were probably following us from Zaphias."

"I thought they were only patrolling Zaphias, not-"

A waitress stopped beside their table. Her smile was friendly, but Yuri could see the curiosity in her eyes when Estelle's voice trailed off into awkward silence.

"'Morning," she said, obviously disappointed when Estelle's gaze dropped to her folded hands. "Sorry about the wait. Anything I can get you two?"

"Coffee for me. Black. And some toast," Yuri said. He nodded in Estelle's direction, and the girl shot up, back rigid.

"Um, I guess...do you have hot chocolate? And maybe some fruit?"

"Just fruit?"

"Yes, please."

The waitress jotted a few lines down on her notepad before she made her way back into the kitchens. Estelle let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Just fruit?" Yuri repeated, flashing her a smile.

"I think I'm too nervous to eat."

"Don't worry about it. _I'm _the one who's gonna get in trouble if the police find us. They'll just ship you back to Zaphias."

"I don't want to go back, though... I've only just left! There's still so much I need to see. And I need to find Flynn before it's too late."

"Don't worry. We'll find him. We've got until tonight." He tapped the tabletop with the tips of his fingers. "You don't happen to know where exactly he's raiding, do you?"

Estelle shook her head, looking somewhat ashamed. "No. I only know that he's here. But...how hard could it be to find him? How big is Halure?"

"Not _too_ big, but..."

The waitress arrived then, setting two steaming mugs on the table. Estelle took her hot chocolate and eagerly took a sip.

"Food's on the way," the waitress said before she disappeared back into the crowd.

"I guess we can look around," Yuri continued once she'd gone. "It'll take most of the day, but we've got the time. I think."

Estelle took the mug from her lips. A smeared dollop of whipped cream clung to the corner of her mouth, but she was so concerned about finding Flynn that she didn't seem to notice. Yuri couldn't help but snort.

"What? Is something wrong?" she asked, frowning.

"No. Just..." He gestured to his own mouth, and she put a hand to hers.

"Oh!" Estelle grabbed a napkin and started dabbing at her face. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Yuri took a long sip of coffee before he replied. "Don't worry about it. No one saw."

"That's not...!" She huffed quietly, clenching a fist around the napkin in her hand. And then she sighed, suddenly tired. "Is there anyone you could ask? Someone from a gang? Wouldn't they know if there was going to be a raid tonight? And where it would be?"

"I could, if I saw someone I knew. I'm only a barkeep for a few places in Zaphias; I don't know much about Halure, to be honest. I don't think they have as many hideouts and speakeasies as most of the other districts. This is usually a pretty quiet place."

"Oh..."

"Hey, don't worry. We'll find him. We've just got to look."

"...You're right," Estelle said, forcing a smile. "Thank you, Yuri."

"Don't mention it. Now, be careful with that hot chocolate. You're going to spill."

"Yuri...!"

* * *

"You're out, kid."

Karol could've sworn those words turned his blood to ice. He felt everything freeze up, felt his stomach go heavy, felt his arms go stiff at his sides. Out? Really?

Not again, he wanted to beg. Please, not again.

But a stammered "W...What do you mean?" was all that came out when he finally managed to open his mouth.

"You're out. Done. Gone." The man flicked a piece of dirt from beneath his nails. "Boss's words, not mine."

It stung. Bad. Clint usually had the good grace give people the boot himself when he thought they were a nuisance, or their skills were no longer needed. But for Karol to be kicked out by a _grunt_? This was the lowest of the low. He wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock and stay there until he woke up and found that this was all a bad dream.

"But I haven't done anything! I mean, I've been doing everything I've been asked, but-"

A new voice spoke up. "You deserted us the night of the raid."

Karol sucked in a breath. His eyes began to burn, but he was afraid to cry. Especially in front of her.

"Nan," he started, in a voice that reminded him of a kicked puppy.

But Nan shook her head. "You _deserted _us, Karol. You left the rest of us behind and ran off on your own."

"The police were coming! If they catch someone like me-"

"A little _kid_ like you," the man from before said, contempt and mirth lining his tone.

"-If they catch someone like me," Karol continued, hoping they couldn't hear the hurt in his voice, "I'd be done for! I'd never see you - I mean, I'd never see the rest of the gang again!"

"At least you have a place to go home to! Some of us aren't so lucky," Nan said, narrowing her eyes. "If the police catch me, it's all over. Back to the city home. Back to...all of that."

Karol wanted desperately to step forward. To comfort her. But his feet were glued to the floor.

"Get out of here, Capel. You're too much of a coward for a gang like this," the man said.

"But...where will I go?" he asked.

"I dunno. Maybe tenth gang's a charm? Ha!"

Karol flinched. "It...it hasn't been _that _many."

"Whatever. Close enough." The man waved a dismissive hand. "Get out of here, kid. Before Clint comes back and sees you still standing here."

Karol turned to Nan, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. Her gaze was too distant, too far off. She wasn't going to help him.

No one was. But what was new?

Karol found himself back out on the streets, alone and gang-less - again. Worry began to settle in his chest, and - as it usually did - the worry soon gave way to cold panic. The gang at least gave him a place to sleep, food to eat, people to talk to and look out for him. What would he do tonight? Find a speakeasy to huddle in? Fat chance. He only got into the speakeasies with the gang's help. They'd never let a kid like him in without that kind of authority.

Maybe it was time to tuck his tail between his legs and go home.

But that was so _far_. He'd starve to death before he made it halfway through this city. Or he'd be killed by someone on the less forgiving streets once he left the safety and warmth of Halure.

A choked sob made its way past his lips. Karol leaned against a wall and took a series of long, deep breaths. You can do this, he told himself. It's no big deal. You'll be fine.

He opened his eyes again and sighed. It was still daytime - early afternoon by now, plenty of time to find a place to stay for the night, and, if he was frugal, grab a bit of food for supper. He had just enough money. He could refresh himself, gather his things, and head back for home in the early morning.

Everything would turn out fine. He wasn't going to let this get him down.

Karol pulled himself away from the wall and made his way down the streets. He liked Halure, despite the fact that it was so different from the other districts in the city. It was quieter, for one, and far less busy. Halure was probably one of the only places where he could walk without having to worry about bumping into anyone.

Something was different now, though. He could feel it in the air. There was more tension than usual, more talk. When he looked around, he noticed that there were even fewer people on the streets.

And there were more police. That gave him pause.

Karol kept his head down and shoved his hands in his pockets. If he didn't look at them, maybe they wouldn't notice him-

"Hey! Excuse me!"

He stopped. His breath caught in his throat. Oh god, oh god, oh god-

But the officer passed him completely and stopped beside a woman tending to the flower box outside her shop. She was flustered, but she set her watering can aside and clasped her hands at her front.

"Yes, sir? Is there something I can help you with?"

"My name is Officer Leblanc. I'm sorry if I startled you, but I have a question. You see, we're looking for someone." He held up the paper that was in his hand. "Have you seen a man like this around here?"

Oh, this was getting interesting. Karol's mind was screaming at him to take advantage of this distraction and make a run for it, but he ignored it and inched as close to the pair as he could without being noticed. There was a photograph on the paper, one that was strangely familiar...

The woman shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. Is he dangerous?"

"Ah... Well, sort of, but there's no reason for alarm."

Karol squinted. The photograph was of a man, with long, dark hair, and-

Oh. Wasn't that the barkeeper in Zaphias? The one he'd seen mere days ago?

"Hey, there."

Karol blinked. The officer was looking directly at him now.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

Oh.

No.


	9. Cornered

Another sort of transition-y chapter, but the action is going to kick up again soon! And I can't believe I forgot how fun Karol and Yuri are to write together... Anyway, thanks again for the reviews, favs, and follows! Things are sort of starting to settle down on my end, so hopefully I can keep up with this sem-regular update schedule. Thank you all so much for your patience! :)

* * *

**Chapter VIII  
**_Cornered_

Yuri hated to admit it - and, for that matter, never _would _admit it - but he was nervous. Nervous enough that his palms were starting to sweat, and he had to wipe them across the leg of his pants every few minutes. Estelle didn't seem to notice, fortunately; she was still in awe of the city around them, of the abundance of flowers and trees and greenery that were mostly absent back in Zaphias. If she was overwhelmed, she was too happy to show it.

Yuri only pulled the hat lower over his head and ran his fingers across his neck to make sure that his hair hadn't slipped out. So far, so good. They'd made it out of the diner before too many police showed up, and the deeper they went into the district, the less there seemed to be. But it was too early to be relieved.

"I don't even know where to begin looking," Estelle was saying. They'd ducked into a tiny bookstore when Yuri caught sight of an officer outside, and now she was skimming through a rather large tome about medical practice. Yuri himself barely understood a word it said.

"Well, I doubt even Flynn knew where exactly the raid was until today," he said, watching as she flipped over the anatomical view of a man's torso. "I'll try to find another gang, if I can. Maybe someone I recognize. But there aren't many this side of the city."

Estelle sighed, and stopped on a page with an illustration of a wrist. "How's your hand doing, by the way?"

"My hand?" Yuri looked down. The bandage she'd made the night before (was it really only a few hours ago? It seemed like it had been so much longer) was still secure, and he couldn't see any blood coming through. Still, he'd almost forgotten about it in all the excitement.

"I guess it's fine."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really." He tested it. "Sort of stiff, but I guess that's from the bandage."

"Good." She shut the book and replaced it on the dusty shelf. "I wouldn't want it to get infected. Then we might have to-"

A shout from the street outside cut her off. She and Yuri turned to the shop window, where they could see an officer - Leblanc, much to Yuri's dismay - confronting a boy no older than eleven or twelve.

"Shit," Yuri muttered. "If he sees me, we're in big trouble. He's probably one of the only cops on the force who'll recognize me like this."

Estelle didn't turn away from the window. "But the boy..."

"He's probably in trouble for skipping school," Yuri said, though he wasn't so sure. He thought he recognized the kid from somewhere... Messy brown hair, wide eyes, a massive backpack over his shoulder. Was it the same one from the bar? It couldn't be. Could it?

He looked back to Estelle, who was securing the cloche to her head with a determined hand.

"Yuri, I have to help him."

"...You're not serious."

But she was. Estelle darted from Yuri's side before he could reach out and grab her back.

"Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you!" she was saying to the boy. He and the officer spun around, equally puzzled.

But Estelle wasn't fazed in the slightest. She grabbed the boy by the elbow and jerked him away. "Officer, please excuse my brother," she said. "He can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes."

"This...he's your brother? But I thought-"

"He _should _be at school right now, but it looks like he's skipping again. Come along."

"Um, ah," the boy muttered, but Estelle's grip was firm.

Leblanc watched them, eyebrow raised. "Miss, I'm not finished with him yet. I'm _sure _I saw him at a speakeasy the other night..."

Estelle stared at the boy with the most convincing look of horror that Yuri had ever seen in his life. "Really? Is that true?"

The boy blinked. "Um, uh, no! Of course not!"

"We'll see about that." Estelle readjusted her hold and started dragging him away. "Thank you, Officer. I can take this from here."

Leblanc watched them go, but much to Yuri's relief, he didn't try to stop them. He was suspicious - that much was obvious by the quirk of his lips and the impatient tap-tap-tapping of his nightstick against his thigh - but he allowed Estelle and the boy to turn the corner and leave his line of sight. Yuri made his way carefully from the bookstore and met them outside.

"What's your name?" Estelle was asking the boy when he joined them.

"Karol. Thanks for that, I think," he said, bashful. "But, um...why did you help?"

Yuri put a hand on Estelle's shoulder before she could respond.

"That was probably one of the most reckless things I've ever seen someone do," he said, "and I'm an expert at being reckless."

Estelle kept her head high. "He looked like he needed it."

"Yeah, but it's not our business. You can't just run off like that anyway. Not while we're supposed to be..." He stopped. The kid - Karol, he supposed - was still watching them, more curious than fearful now. His eyes were locked on Yuri's.

"We should go," Yuri said, carefully.

Karol's eyes widened. "Wait! Um, thanks. Uh...?"

"Estelle," she said before Yuri could stop her. "Pleased to meet you."

"Estelle. Um, you know... I haven't seen you in this part of the city before. Are you new?"

"Sort of, I guess," Yuri said. "But we're in a hurry."

"If you need help finding something, I could show you around! I know this place like the back of my hand. You might get lost if you're just wandering around."

Yuri started to respond, but this time it was Estelle who stopped him. "We _are_ sort of lost, Yuri," she said, brow furrowed. "And we don't have a lot of time."

"Yeah, but this kid isn't going to know who we're looking for."

Karol huffed. "Hey, I can still hear you!"

"You never know," Estelle said with something of a shrug. "It never hurts to try, does it?"

"All right, have it your way," Yuri said, though not unkindly. Estelle gave him a quick smile before she turned back to Karol.

"My friend and I are looking for someone. He's a police officer - a lieutenant, actually - and he's supposed to be raiding the district tonight," she said. "Have you heard anything about that?"

"A raid in Halure? Those are pretty rare. But I think the guys in my gang were talking about one before I left the hangout..."

Yuri snorted. "You're in a gang?"

"Of course I am! _Anyone_ can be in a gang. You've just gotta be tough enough!"

"Yeah, sure. I saw you cowering in front of that officer."

"That wasn't cowering!"

Estelle cleared her throat. "You mentioned a raid? Do you know where it is?"

"Oh, yeah! I think there's supposed to be one farther north, up at the edge of the district. Want me to take you there?"

"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much!"

"Hold on. He's not going to be raiding the place until later tonight. We can't just hang around until we see him. The police'll suspect something."

"Oh. Right."

"I'm thinking we could probably do with some rest. I don't know about you, but I haven't slept since... I don't even remember," Yuri said, stifling a yawn. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he brought it up; now it was all he could do to keep himself from falling over.

"I think there's a hotel sort of close by to the raid site. You guys could rest there," Karol suggested.

"A hotel or a gang's rat nest? I've stayed at one of those places before."

"A _hotel_. Like, a real one."

"I have some money on me that we could use," Estelle said. "I brought just enough before I left."

"Good thing, too. Let's go."

"I'll lead the way!" Karol said, and positioned himself at the front of the party.

"Hey, keep your head low. We don't want those nasty officers grabbing you again."

"They won't! I can handle it this time."

"Sure you can, brave captain."

Karol stuck his tongue out in Yuri's direction. Yuri could only laugh; the kid was amusing, he'd give him that. The distraction was welcome after several days of tension and near-terror.

"We're heading a bit north, like I said," Karol started. "The best speakeasies are farther out of the district. They don't want to trouble the people here."

"That's nice of them," Estelle said.

"Yeah, I guess. Zaphias is still one of the best places to go, though. No one really looks to Halure for alcohol."

"Should a kid like you even know this much about alcohol?" Yuri teased.

"I don't drink any of it, I swear!"

"Mmhm."

"I'm really telling the truth!"

Estelle positioned herself between the two. "Don't tease him so much, Yuri. He's really helping us out."

Karol huffed again, but Yuri could only chuckle.

"What's beyond Halure, Karol?" Estelle asked, to break the tension.

"Oh, the Aspio University is just out of the district. I've never been there."

"The Aspio University... I almost had a chance to go there."

"Really?" Karol was regarding her differently now. "You've gotta be _really _smart to get in."

"My father wanted me to stay behind. To prepare for taking-"

Yuri clapped a hand on Estelle's shoulder, and she fell silent. He gave her a warning glance - one Karol didn't seem to miss - and said, "We're not interested in the university. Just finding our friend."

"Right," Karol said. He wasn't convinced, but he left it at that.

The buildings began to thin out until they were even shorter and squatter than before. Yuri could hear more of a bustle up ahead; and before he could wonder what it was, they turned a corner and were confronted by a massive tree.

Estelle's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my gosh!"

Even Yuri was in awe. The tree - with its impressively thick trunk and vast canopy of flower blossoms - was massive, rising high above the buildings to scrape the blue of the sky. Yuri found himself craning his neck back until it ached.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Karol said with a hint of pride. "This is the famous-"

"The blossoming tree of Halure!" Estelle interrupted. "I've read about it before, but I've never seen it! It's even more beautiful than I imagined it would be!"

"It's in full bloom right now too. That only happens once a year," Karol added.

Yuri gave a nod. "Looks like we came at the right time."

"Yep! And the hotel I was talking about is at the edge of the plaza, so you can probably see it from your room."

Karol was already starting to lead them away, but Estelle was rooted to the spot, her eyes locked on the tree. Yuri doubted she'd heard a single word they said.

"Looks like we might be stuck here for a while," he told Karol with a joking grin.

"It's a lot to take in the first time you see it."

Yuri nodded, and cast his gaze over the plaza. It was getting closer to evening, and for the moment, there were only regular cityfolk wandering about, carrying bags of groceries and stopping to talk to people they knew. No one was giving them so much as a second glance.

But that could all change very quickly if Leblanc showed up again. Not only would he recognize Yuri, but he was suspicious of Estelle and Karol now, too. Especially if they were hanging around him.

"Hey, Estelle? I don't mean to interrupt, but-"

Estelle blinked, as if awakening from a trance. "Huh? Oh, sorry! I was just... It's so beautiful, isn't it? I can't believe something like that can grow and flourish in a city like this."

"It is," Yuri agreed, "but we should probably head to the hotel. I don't want to see what Leblanc will do when he shows up."

"Oh, right! Let's go, then."

Karol wove them expertly through the thinning crowds, until they reached one of the only two-story buildings at the edge of the plaza. A sign out front identified it as the historic Denebola Inn: vacancy, no pets allowed. There was a rustic quality to the building, what with its crumbling brick walls and the twisting ivy that climbed up the windows. It was almost charming - a word he never thought he'd associate with this city.

"This place is pretty cheap, for a 'historic' inn," Karol said as he pushed the front door open. A bell chimed delicately overhead.

"It's lovely," Estelle said, and Yuri couldn't disagree. The rustic charm followed them inside, where the exposed brick walls - which would have been trashy and unkempt anywhere else - were warm and almost homey. The only other person in the lobby was a man at the front desk, and for that, Yuri was grateful.

"Here," Estelle said, handing him a few bills. It was all Yuri could do not to let his jaw drop open. He hadn't seen numbers this big in _years._

Estelle tilted her head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, uh, nope. I'll be right back."

The clerk at the front desk was too engrossed in his book to notice Yuri standing there, tapping his fingers across the counter. "Uh, hey-" he started - which was apparently enough to startle the man and send the book flying out of his hands.

"Oh!" he spluttered. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!"

"It's fine," Yuri said, appropriately satisfied with the reaction. He took Estelle's bills and slid them across the counter. She'd only given him enough for one room - which, when he thought about it, was probably a good thing. They didn't need to spend so much of her money at once. He still wasn't sure how long he'd be escorting her around the city to find Flynn.

Yuri returned to the group with a key dangling between his fingers. He tossed it to Estelle, who caught it with some surprise.

"You'd better go on up ahead of me. I could only get the one room," he said.

"Why couldn't we both...?" And then she stopped, her face going a delicate shade of pink. "Oh. Right."

Estelle took the key in her hand and jumped to her feet. How could she still be so energetic? She probably had less rest than he had in the last twenty-four hours, what with the Red Eye attack on her father's company.

"Karol's going to stay with us," she said, heading to the stairs at the back of the lobby. "Since he's going to help us find the raid site later."

"Really? You sure he isn't mooching?"

"I-I'm not mooching!" the boy protested. "You're using her money too, you know!"

Yuri ruffled his hair, ignoring his protests. "I'm just kidding, Captain. Let's get some rest. If this is anything like the last raid I saw, it's going to be a long night."

"I remember the last raid! I was there too."

"I saw you. I was hoping you got out before the rest of us."

"Nah. But things turned out all right."

Maybe for you guys, Yuri thought with the briefest of shrugs. "Where _is_ your gang, anyway? Shouldn't you be with them?"

The easy smile on Karol's face melted away. "Oh, they're...they're letting me do my own thing for a while! We're kind of laying low for the raid tonight, you know?"

Karol wasn't meeting his gaze anymore. The boy's eyes were focused on his hands, which he was wringing nervously at his lap.

Of course he was lying. It was too obvious. But Yuri knew better than anyone that he probably had his reasons for doing so, and he wasn't going to question it.

"Probably a good idea," was all he said. The kid looked uncomfortable, so he added, "It's probably safe to go up to the room now. I think the guy at the front desk is too busy with his book to notice us anyway."

"Yeah! I'm beat."

The clerk still wasn't watching them - Yuri doubted he'd look up even if a truck came crashing through the doors - as they ascended the staircase and found themselves in a short, dimly-lit hall. There were only a few doors on each side, and he found theirs at the very end.

Yuri knocked on the door once, twice. There was no answer.

"Hey, Estelle? Could you let us in?"

Still nothing.

"Maybe she's taking a shower?" Karol suggested.

But the room was dead silent. Yuri felt something uncoil in the pit of his stomach.

"Estelle? We're coming in," he said, more serious now. When there was still no response, he braced his shoulder against the door and beckoned for Karol to do the same.

"Think you can help me break this down?"

Karol looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Wh-What? That could get us in trouble! I don't think we-"

Yuri threw all of his weight against the door. It was cheaply made, and the hinges burst inward with an agonizing screech. Karol jumped aside, but Yuri fell into the room and landed on all fours.

He looked up.

Estelle was still there, all right.

But so were three of those damned Red Eyes.


	10. Reunion

**Chapter IX**  
_Reunion_

Yuri was stunned only for a moment. He'd seen the Red Eyes before, seen the way they quite literally glowed; but he was never prepared for it. Still, he pushed himself off the dusty floor and lunged for the closest of the thugs. Estelle gave a tiny shriek as he wrapped his arms around the man and shoved him hard against the wall.

The others reacted immediately. They swarmed him, grabbed for his arms, tried to pull him away from their companion. Yuri punched one of them hard enough that he heard a sickening crack, and then spun around to kick the other square in the stomach. They backed off, but the one he'd cornered shot forward and shoved him away.

Yuri reached instinctively for the handgun he'd always kept at his waistband, but his hands grabbed thin air. He started for a moment, confused before he remembered Leblanc confiscating it back at the precinct with a smug grin.

_Guess I'll have to improvise, _he thought, reaching for the side table lamp just as one of the Red Eyes slashed at him. They had rusted knives in their hands now.

Yuri ducked away from another swipe and swung hard. The lamp connected heavily with the Red Eye's legs and they crumpled beneath him. He spun around then, smacked the other in the shoulder, and sent him staggering.

"Yuri! Behind you!"

Karol's warning came a moment too late. The tip of the knife grazed Yuri's side, and he acknowledged it with a low grunt.

_Bam!_ The Red Eye suddenly stiffened, then fell to the side. Estelle was behind him, brandishing the room's other lamp in her hands.

"Sorry, I didn't move fast enough," she said, breathless.

"That was still pretty great."

She smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Really? Do you think so?"

Yuri didn't have a chance to respond. Someone - or some_ones_, rather, by the sound of it - were pounding up the stairs. Karol looked down the hall before he darted into the room.

"It's the guy from the front desk! And the police!"

"Damn," Yuri muttered, surveying the room. The hallway was too thin for him to break past the officers and the desk clerk combined; they'd have to find another method of escape.

Ah. There. He threw the window open, pleased now that the place was too cheap for screens, and beckoned for Estelle and Karol to follow him. Estelle seemed eager enough, but Karol stood beside the bed, swallowing nervously.

"It's not that far down," Yuri told Estelle as he took her hand and helped her over the ledge. "Barely two stories."

"There's a fire escape here. I'll climb down."

Yuri motioned to Karol, who was staring uneasily at the temporarily stunned Red Eyes. "C'mon, kid. There's not much time."

"But-"

"Come on!"

Something in Yuri's voice startled the boy enough that he began to move. He'd just reached the window frame when Leblanc burst past the wreckage of the door, flanked on both sides by the clerk and another officer.

Leblanc's eyebrows shot to his forehead. "Lowell! I should've known."

Yuri helped a lightly protesting Karol to the ladder outside before he gave Leblanc his signature smile.

"You just can't seem to get enough of me, can you?"

Leblanc reached for the gun at his side. "I'm not in the mood for this today, Lowell. You know the drill: put your hands-"

Yuri took a step back. Placed his hands on the windowsill.

Leblanc drew his gun. "Lowell, don't even-"

Yuri swung his legs over and was out the window before the shots rang out. They pierced the uneasy silence of the alleyway below, where he landed with a pained grunt beside Estelle and Karol.

"Yuri! Your legs-"

"I can still run," he said, pushing himself to his feet with another groan. "Go! Go!"

Karol obeyed immediately. Estelle took Yuri by the wrist, helped him up, and pulled him along.

Leblanc's voice was louder than the gunshots. "Lowell, get back here!"

The pain in his knees was like fire, but Yuri found himself keeping up with both Estelle and Karol. They burst out into the plaza, where the activity of the day was winding down, but there were still just enough people to mask them.

"Where do we go now?" Karol asked, panic edging his tone. He was looking wildly around, back to the alley and then to the front of the inn.

Yuri pointed north, in the direction they'd gone before. "That way. Let's move."

"But that's where the raid is. There'll be more police!"

"We don't have another choice for now. We have the Red Eyes to deal with too."

"I'm sorry, Yuri. This is my fault," Estelle started, before Yuri shushed her with a wave of his hand.

"Save the apologies for later! We have to go."

They moved quickly, weaving between the confused crowds until they were out of the plaza and pounding down one of the many side streets. Yuri glanced over his shoulder - once to make sure that Karol was still behind him, and again to see if Leblanc had found them. He caught a glimpse of the officers far back, and forced himself to run faster despite the furious pain in his knees.

No one spoke. No one had to. Yuri dragged them along until he couldn't hear Leblanc's shouts and threw himself into the nearest building. He was surprised - but thrilled - to find that the door was unlocked.

The room beyond was dark and cool. Yuri pulled Estelle and Karol through before he slammed the door shut again and leaned against it. He was breathing hard, and he could feel the sweat pouring down the sides of his face.

It took a full minute before Karol finally voiced all of their fears. "D-Do you think they'll find us in here?"

"Not sure," Yuri said, running the back of his hand across his forehead. "Hope not."

"Where are we, anyway?" Estelle asked. Yuri could just barely see the outline of her; she'd wandered away from the others to explore the rest of the room.

"Don't go too far. We don't know what kind of place this is," Yuri warned her.

"I'm not. I'm just looking."

"...Who were those guys back at the hotel?" Karol suddenly asked. "Are they after Estelle?"

Yuri offered a shrug, though he wasn't sure if Karol could see it. "I guess you could say that."

"And the police are after you?"

"For the barkeeping job the other night."

"Oh. Yeah."

Karol slumped against what appeared to be a table and sighed. "I hope they don't find us here. The police and those other guys, I mean."

"Me too. I think we're all right for now-"

The lights flickered on. Yuri blinked twice and let his eyes adjust before he realized they were in the middle of some kind of...science lab? There were several rows of white-topped tables, and along the sides of the room he could see cabinets filled to the brim with glass beakers and cups, along with other fancy-looking pieces of equipment he hadn't seen since his high school days.

Estelle had frozen in mid-step. She'd turned to stare at the other end of the room. Yuri and Karol followed her gaze.

"_Who _the _hell_ are you people?"

Yuri bit back a laugh. A girl was standing there, hands planted firmly on her hips. It was almost comical, the way she scowled at them - her entire face crinkled up, and for some reason, it reminded him of Flynn.

"The door was unlocked," Estelle blurted out. "Sorry. We were-"

The girl ignored her. She turned her glare on Estelle and ran a hand through her mussed hair. "You're not supposed to be here! _I _reserved the lab for this afternoon. Didn't you read the roster?"

Yuri pushed himself to his feet, suppressing a wince when his knees protested. "Calm down, kid," he said. "We're not here to cause trouble. We were just on our way out."

"Who're you calling _kid_? You don't look like someone who belongs here."

"I...Is this part of the university?" Karol asked her.

The girl snorted. "Of course it is. What are you, ten? Why are _you _here?"

"I'm not-"

Yuri clapped a hand on Karol's shoulder. "Don't ruffle her feathers."

"But-"

"Come on."

Karol huffed, but he followed Yuri out the door without protest. Estelle was waiting for them out in the hallway, her hands clasped anxiously at her front. She was wringing them again, Yuri noticed.

"Do you think we can hide out here? Will they let us?" she asked once he'd closed the door.

"We can wander around and pretend like we belong, I guess."

She motioned to a nearby bench. "I want to get a look at your knees first. You landed on them hard."

Yuri waved her off. "I'll rest when we've found a good place to hide."

"We won't walk too far, then."

Yuri had never been to a university before, let alone one as supposedly prestigious as Aspio. It wasn't exactly what he expected: the hallway was dark and high-ceilinged; portraits of what he assumed were former professors watched their every move from the walls. What he'd expected was something grand, something bright and welcoming and filled with people. What he'd seen of Aspio so far was dim and empty.

Estelle, on the other hand, was taking everything in with a careful eye - as usual - but Karol was trailing behind, hovering close to Yuri's side.

"Still regretting not going here?" Yuri asked, to break the silence. His voice seemed eerily loud in the quiet.

Estelle pondered his question for a moment. "I don't know. I haven't seen much of the place," she said. "I'd love to learn more, though. From the classes here, I mean. You can only get so much from books."

"I went to a boarding school for a while," Karol added. "It was kind of like a university. They had dorms and roommates and stuff."

Yuri quirked an eyebrow. "Really? What made you join a gang?"

"Oh...stuff."

Estelle turned to him with her gentle smile. "And what about you, Yuri?"

"What about me?"

"Did you go to a university? Or a college, somewhere?"

"Nah. Just the usual stuff. I started work as soon as I finished high school."

"Ah, I see..."

There was no judgement in her tone, though. Just simple curiosity when he offered no explanation beyond that.

The hallway ended with a massive set of double doors. Estelle pushed them open, and suddenly, they were engulfed by the noise and activity of the university. Karol and Estelle were taken aback by all the sound, all the people; but Yuri felt back in his element, at long last.

The courtyard beyond was bustling with uniformed students. Some were still running to and from classes, their arms filled with books and papers and materials, but most of them were lounging on benches or the steps. For a moment, Yuri almost thought they were back outside - but when he looked up, he saw that the ceiling was made entirely of glass, and the twilight filtering down from above was strangely muted.

"There are so many students here!" Estelle said; he couldn't tell if she was amazed or scared. "I thought this university was exclusive."

"It is, but Aspio takes in students from all over the city," Karol told her. "And this is probably most of them, anyway."

Yuri took another look around the courtyard. "I thought we'd be able to blend in here, but everyone's in uniform..."

"Would the police and the Red Eyes really come all this way?" Estelle asked.

"You never know. I wouldn't put it past Leblanc, personally."

Karol sulked, kicking the ground with the toe of his shoe. "Too bad that girl kicked us out of the lab... What's a kid like her doing at the university anyway?"

"Who knows. It doesn't matter right now."

Yuri flopped down on the closest bench and stretched out his legs. His knees still felt like they were on fire. Estelle sat tentatively beside him, while Karol fidgeted on the path.

"Hey! Shouldn't we keep moving?"

"You can keep lookout for us, Captain. The police uniforms will stand out like sore thumbs here."

"Well...okay."

Yuri leaned his head against the back of the bench. How much longer could he avoid the police before they caught him this time? He always had the option to leave Zaphias, maybe to slip into another part of the city... But no. That was out of the question. The Lower Quarter was still relying on him. Who knew what sort of state they were in right now, while he was traipsing across the Halure district and the university?

_I can go back as soon as we've found Flynn_, he reminded himself. The raid would be starting later that night, and it was already evening...

Estelle's voice cut through his thoughts. "Yuri? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Is it okay if I feel your knee? I just want to see if anything might be twisted."

"Go ahead."

Estelle's touch was gentle. Several of the students wandering about the courtyard watched them with snickers, but she didn't seem to mind - or she hadn't noticed.

"It feels all right to me," she said after a moment. "But you should probably try to rest... Well, if you can. How do you feel?"

Yuri shrugged again. "I'll live."

"You're very kind to do all of this for me."

"Hey, I owe you, remember? You saved my ass back at your dad's building," he said, giving her a friendly nudge. "Without you, I'd probably be back in the slammer."

Estelle giggled. "I guess that's true. But still." Her expression sobered, and she stared back down at her hands. "I didn't realize the Red Eyes would follow me all the way out here... I don't really know what they want, either."

"They must want whatever it is pretty bad, if they've come this far."

"Yes... I-"

Karol interrupted her. "Yuri! They're here!"

Yuri jumped back to his feet without a second thought. "Who? The Red Eyes or the police?"

"I... I think it's the police-"

It was too late. The officer in question had already spotted them.

And when Yuri saw him, he relaxed. Estelle let out a small gasp beside him.

"Yuri," the officer said with a tired smile. "They told me to keep my eyes open for a certain fugitive. And here you are. Just my luck, huh?"

"It's nice to see you too, Flynn."


End file.
